SURVEY - Half of US physicians routinely prescribe placebos

[Guest guest]

New York Times

By GARDINER HARRIS

Published: October 23, 2008

Half of Doctors Routinely Prescribe Placebos

Half of all American doctors responding to a nationwide survey say

they regularly prescribe placebos to patients. The results trouble

medical ethicists, who say more research is needed to determine

whether doctors must deceive patients in order for placebos to work.

The study involved 679 internists and rheumatologists chosen randomly

from a national list of such doctors. In response to three questions

included as part of the larger survey, about half reported

recommending placebos regularly. Surveys in Denmark, Israel, Britain,

Sweden and New Zealand have found similar results.

The most common placebos the American doctors reported using were

headache pills and vitamins, but a significant number also reported

prescribing antibiotics and sedatives. Although these drugs, contrary

to the usual definition of placebos, are not inert, doctors reported

using them for their effect on patients' psyches, not their bodies.

******************************************

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/health/24placebo.html?hp

Not an MD