/oss/taxonomy/term/2820/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-history/legend-wartime-placebo <p>Facts rarely get in the way of a good story. There is a foundational myth in placebo research that has been repeated over and over again, sometimes with inexplicable flourishes, often with the variations one expects from a telephone game. You have probably read it in a mainstream publication. It’s the story of a doctor, working in dark times, who cannot do his job properly and accidentally discovers the power of the placebo to relieve pain. It is such a good story.</p> <p>And it might not even be true.</p> Sat, 12 Feb 2022 03:06:02 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9023 at /oss /oss/article/quackery-trotter-public-science-symposium/get-ready-trottier-public-science-symposium <p>When John Milton wrote in Paradise Lost that the mind can make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven, without realizing it, he was talking about the “placebo” and the “nocebo” effect. “Placebo” comes from the Latin “I will please” and refers to a situation whereby a beneficial effect on the body comes about as a result of mental activity. The classic example is relief of pain from a sugar pill when the patient believes that a real medication has been administered.</p> Mon, 16 Oct 2017 15:44:44 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 5358 at /oss