Health

News, commentary, critique, reviews, research from medicine, pseudomedicine and health.

Placebo Effect

Does pill packet branding change the placebo response, or is this just another placebo myth?

Mike Hall -
How expensive a pill packet looks is said to influence the size of its placebo effect but, once again, the evidence is sorely lacking
Covid-19

Studying the promotion of health misinformation by the Bolsonaro government

Cesar Baima -
As Brazilian leader, Bolsonaro was prolific in pushing health misinformation, making him a perfect model for researching how those in power can distort truth
Health

It’s far to soon too tell patients platelet-rich plasma injections can treat infertility

Alice Howarth -
Platelet-rich plasma might one day be a viable treatment infertility, or it might be a plausible treatment that fails to pan out - right now, we simply don't know
Alternative Medicine

First do no harm? Treatments don’t need to be harmless, as long they do good

Edzard Ernst -
Rather than 'do no harm', doctors must do more good than harm – an ethical obligation that alternative medicine almost inevitably fails to meet
Placebo Effect

Pacemakers don’t work when they’re switched off – we should doubt studies that say otherwise

Mike Hall -
Among the many odd claims made about the placebo effect is that pacemakers work even before they're switched on - which obviously isn't true
Health

Moroccan Argan oil is an interesting traditional product, but it’s certainly no panacea

Alice Howarth -
Argan oil from Morocco is said to have all manner of health benefits, from preventing hair loss to boosting the immune system - all based on little to no evidence
Alternative Medicine

Animals, acupuncture and alt-med: the Brazilian penguin being subjected to Enya

Natália Pasternak -
A recently rescued penguin in Rio de Janeiro is being treated with acupuncture, cannabinoids and music therapy - despite a total lack of evidence
Placebo Effect

The evidence for pill colour impacting placebo effects gets flimsier the more you examine it

Mike Hall -
The idea that the colour of a pill influences what placebo response you get is based on a succession of badly designed or badly interpreted trials
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