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Hooper’s Medical Dictionary of 1811 defines placebo as “an epithet given to any medicine adapted more to please than benefit the patient.”   This was meant to cause a therapeutic effect to cause the patient to have faith in their doctor and belief in their treatment.  A great example of a placebo is when a parent places a bandage on their child’s”boo-boo,” when there is not present need for one.  However, it makes the child feel better.

Placebos are notably used as a control in research for new drugs or treatments.   If the patients who were administered the experimental drug or treatment do better than those on the placebo, then the study proves the effectiveness of the treatment.

In addition to being used in studies, placebos are commonly used as a treatment.   In a recent study it was discovered that over the past year, more than half of the doctors in the U.S. often prescribed placebos and rarely told the patient they were doing so.

Scientists from the National Institute of Health, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Chicago surveyed 1,200 U.S. internists and rheumatologists from a national list of doctors, of which 679 responded.  Of those who responded, 58% stated that they had prescribed placebos on a regular basis, and 62% believe that it is ethically acceptable.

Only 5% of doctors stated they would tell their patients that they were receiving a placebo. 68% stated they told patients the placebos were a “potentially beneficial medicine or treatment not typically used for their condition,” 18% called it”medicine,” and 9% said it was “medicine with no known effects for your condition.”

So what are the most commonly prescribed placebos?  Over-the-counter pain relievers were prescribed the most at 41%, then vitamins at 28%, 13% were antibiotics or sedatives, 3% were saline solution, and 2% were just sugar pills.  Many doctors stated they would often prescribe a sugar pill for patients with chronic pain conditions if there was any proof of effectiveness.  About half of the doctors claim they used the treatments to promote positive patient expectations more than once a month.