By Dr. Mercola By definition, a placebo is an inert substance that has no effect on your body. In medical research, placebos (such as sugar pills) are used as controls against which the effects of drugs are measured. However, the placebo-effect, in which a patient believes he or she is getting an actual drug and subsequently improves despite receiving no active substance at all, has become a well-recognized phenomenon.1 Some studies into the placebo effect have even concluded that many conventional treatments “work” because of the placebo effect and little else. Indeed, the placebo effect may even be at work in … Continue reading Placebos Can Work