Recent headlines claim we 'finally know' how placebos work, thanks to a trial that is little more than Pavlovian conditioning. No wonder the public is confused
Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer's research claims powerful mind-over-matter effects, based on small studies with implausible outcomes - we should be skeptical
Randomisation ensures treatment and control groups are as similar as possible when beginning a study - placebo controls ensure they are similar during a study
The 'powerful placebo' is a seductive myth that Kathryn T. Hall's "Placebos" can't resist, even though her grand claims clearly misinterpret what the best available evidence says
In praising the power of the placebo effect, the statistical sleuths at the BBC's More or Less cited small, subjective studies that have failed to replicate
Patients on placebo inhalers reported that they felt better, even though their lung capacity was objectively the same - this isn't an argument for placebo asthma treatments, but for objective measurements in clinical studies
