[The placebo effect: is the wish father to the thought?].

Author: de Craen AJ.
Affiliation: Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, afd. Ouderengeneeskunde, Leiden.
Conference/Journal: Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd.
Date published: 2014
Other: Volume ID: 158 , Pages: A7466 , Special Notes: [Article in Dutch] , Word Count: 84



The placebo effect remains an interesting topic for research. Recently, a systematic review estimated the percentage of responders after various placebo interventions in studies assessing prophylactic treatment for migraine. The authors report that after oral, pharmacologic placebos, 22% of patients reported an attack frequency reduction of > 50% and that after sham acupuncture, this percentage was 38%. In this commentary the methodological issues of the paper are discussed, and the conclusion is that in research into placebo effects the wish might be father to the thought.
PMID: 25027219