Placebo studies
Placebo studies is an interdisciplinary academic discipline concerning the study of the placebo effect. The placebo effect is commonly characterized when patients are given a placebo or "fake" treatment and then exhibit perceived improvement.[1] This discipline was pioneered by Ted Kaptchuk and colleagues at the Program in Placebo Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard Medical School. It has been found through clinical placebo studies that the placebo effect in fact plays a significant role; one specific case being the clinical trials of major depressive disorder (MDD).[2] Alongside major depressive disorder, these placebo experiments have been noted in studies of migranes, irritable bowl syndrome, and even Parkinson's disease.[3]
Background
Until 1955, a placebo treatment was considered a fraudulent substance administered to appease difficult patients.[4] As the defintion for Placeo has changed its connotation over the years, idealy it has come to mean the false effects are belived to be true by one's expectations. Although, it is a false substance used to satisfy one's ilness.[5]However, the rise of the placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT), it became widely known throughout the academic community that placebo effects could in fact result in clinical changes and results.[4] However, the ability to distinguish the efficacious ability of placebos over a period of time as well as those who are coined responders has proven difficult for scientists.[4] The complex process of the placebo studies method is growing at a steady rate in the field of mental illness. The process demands neurobiological mechanisms containing neurotransmitters, to rapidly propel creating the patients desired effect.[6]
Initial clinical experiments
In 1954, at Harvard Medical School a team led by Louis Lasagna lead the first known experiment to detect placebo responders.[7] In this experiment approximately 162 postoperative patients were observed for significant pain relief from subcutaneous injections of placebo and morphine.[7] Differences in response and attitude were exhibited between placebo respondents and non-placebo respondents.[7] "Using Rorschach tests and qualitative interviews, respondents, compared to non-respondents, were more anxious, self-centered, viewed the hospital care as 'wonderful', had more somatic symptoms, used more cathartics, were 'talkers and were regular church goers.".[4] Overall, this initial study on placebo responders versus non-responders outlined the initial yet undiscovered effects of the placebo within the placebo study.
In 1957, a team led by Wolf at Cornell University Medical School conducted an experiment to determine the reliability of the placebo response within the placebo study.[8]
A study on double blind placebo effects from omega 3 fatty acids and their persistant climb was done in 2006. This study concluded that although the results were "too premature to evaluate," they showed there was a relationship between the efficacy of the antidepressant placebos and the intake of omega threes PUFAs.[9] Even your daily diet can trigger aspired results.
References
- ^ Thompson JJ, Ritenbaugh C, Nichter M (March 2009). "Reconsidering the placebo response from a broad anthropological perspectives". Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry. 33 (1): 112–52. doi:10.1007/s11013-008-9122-2. PMC 2730465. PMID 19107582.
- ^ Brunoni AR, Lopes M, Kaptchuk TJ, Fregni F (2009). "Placebo response of non-pharmacological and pharmacological trials in major depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis". PLOS One. 4 (3): e4824. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004824. PMC 2653635. PMID 19293925.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Luo, Yan; Wolfson, Ouri (2017), "Mobile P 2P Databases", Encyclopedia of GIS, Springer International Publishing, pp. 1267–1274, ISBN 9783319178844, retrieved 2018-11-23
- ^ a b c d Kaptchuk TJ, Kelley JM, Deykin A, Wayne PM, Lasagna LC, Epstein IO, Kirsch I, Wechsler ME (July 2008). "Do "placebo responders" exist?". Contemporary Clinical Trials. 29 (4): 587–95. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2008.02.002. PMID 18378192.
- ^ "Login - Sam Houston State University". eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.shsu.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ^ Kaptchuk, Ted J.; Miller, Franklin G. (2015-07-02). "Placebo Effects in Medicine". New England Journal of Medicine. 373 (1): 8–9. doi:10.1056/nejmp1504023. ISSN 0028-4793.
- ^ a b c Lasagna L, Mosteller F, Von Felsinger JM, Beecher HK (June 1954). "A study of the placebo response". The American Journal of Medicine. 16 (6): 770–9. doi:10.1016/0002-9343(54)90441-6. PMID 13158365.
- ^ Wolf S, Doering CR, Clark ML, Hagans JA (June 1957). "Chance distribution and placebo reactor". The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. 49 (6): 837–41. PMID 13429202.
- ^ Lin, Pao-Yen; Su, Kuan-Pin (2007-07-15). "A Meta-Analytic Review of Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials of Antidepressant Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids". The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 68 (07): 1056–1061. doi:10.4088/jcp.v68n0712. ISSN 0160-6689.