Explainer: Placebo and Placebo Effect

What is a Placebo?

Placebo is the name given to fake medicine which is used in medical studies. Placebo is given to some participants of the study who do not receive the real medicine. The patient in medical studies would not know whether it is real medicine or a placebo. The purpose of using a placebo in medical studies is to prove that the benefit of the drug being tested is real and not due to luck.

What is the Placebo effect?

It means the changes produced in the body of the person after taking a placebo. The resulting change could be both beneficial or harmful. After taking a placebo, while some of the patients report improvement in disease, others also report side effects.

Why does the Placebo Effect Occur?

It is not fully understood, but it is believed to be related to the activity of the brain. As you would know every organ of the human body is connected to the brain through nerves, and the brain can influence their functioning.

About the author: Dr. Naval Asija is a licensed MBBS Physician from India. MBBS is the equivalent of the MD degree offered by international medical schools. He is based in Delhi, India, and works as a medical writer, editor, and consultant. He supports medical researches as an author's editor, medical communication companies involved in medico-marketing activities, and medical technology companies in improving their products. He can be contacted via his LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navalasija/

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