Article

2008-10-25 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Half of American Doctors Give Patients Placebos Without Telling Them

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Posted by Anonymoose 2008-10-25 09:30|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 To make matters a lot worse, diagnosis isn't easy.

Internists face a multitude of similar symptoms with different causes, patients who evidence some symptoms and not others as well as extraneous conditions that appear to be symptoms, and multiple and overlapping conditions. Misdiagnosis is very common.

Patients also have strange and unpredictable expectations of treatment, and in America often assume that physicians can 100% repair, unrepairable conditions.

Rheumatologists are especially under pressure, because inflammatory conditions are unique to individuals, and different parts of the same person often respond differently to the same treatment. The conditions are also often reactive to barometric pressure and to a lesser extent temperature.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-10-25 09:44|| 2008-10-25 09:44|| Front Page Top

#2 Medicine is expensive. That seems like fraud to me.

Posted by Betty 2008-10-25 09:45|| 2008-10-25 09:45|| Front Page Top

#3 Dammer, now my glasses don'twork!

Posted by .5MT 2008-10-25 09:58|| www.cybernations.net]">[www.cybernations.net] 2008-10-25 09:58|| Front Page Top

#4 Think about this. Do they charge for placebos at the same rate they charge for the real medicine? Does the bill reflect the same cost? I doubt placebos costs as much as the real thing, so where does the difference go to?

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-10-25 10:01|| 2008-10-25 10:01|| Front Page Top

#5 Seems like they at least ought to tell them.

Posted by .5MT 2008-10-25 10:04|| www.cybernations.net]">[www.cybernations.net] 2008-10-25 10:04|| Front Page Top

#6 Makes sense. Since half the time doctors don't know what is wrong with their patient.

Posted by phil_b 2008-10-25 10:18|| 2008-10-25 10:18|| Front Page Top

#7 Just give the patients a lillypop and tell them they'll be alright, don't be such a crybaby. Then, back at the golf course!

Posted by anonymous5089 2008-10-25 10:20|| 2008-10-25 10:20|| Front Page Top

#8 Half of American Doctors Give Patients Placebos Without Telling Them.

I trust my physician, it's the 'Placebos' from Washington I'm concerned about.

Posted by Besoeker 2008-10-25 10:33|| 2008-10-25 10:33|| Front Page Top

#9 "I trust my physician, it's the 'Placebos' from Washington I'm concerned about."

Amen!

Posted by Minister of funny walks 2008-10-25 11:09|| 2008-10-25 11:09|| Front Page Top

#10 Dr Bernanke says his 600 billion bailout WILL work...

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2008-10-25 11:16|| 2008-10-25 11:16|| Front Page Top

#11 "All placebos are not the same," Eli Lilly spokesman Giles French said. "Pacifex is the only placebo that's green and shaped like a triangle. Pacifex: A doctor gave it to you."

FDA Approves Sale of Prescription Placebo

Posted by eLarson 2008-10-25 11:48|| 2008-10-25 11:48|| Front Page Top

#12 Since when did pain killers and antibiotics and sedatives become placebos?

Posted by Darrell 2008-10-25 12:31|| 2008-10-25 12:31|| Front Page Top

#13 I'll have to look at the study, but at first blush I don't believe it.

Posted by Steve White 2008-10-25 13:23|| 2008-10-25 13:23|| Front Page Top

#14 Are nutriceuticals effective or placebo? Often enough a doctor will suggest taking Co-Q10 or extra vitamin B-12 or ginko biloba with the statement that it might help the patient. In some cases there is research behind the suggestions, in other cases very small scale studies at best. And yet, if the patient's symptoms respond positively, how is the doctor to test if the cause was biochemical or placebo?

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2008-10-25 14:30|| 2008-10-25 14:30|| Front Page Top

#15 Studies have proven red placebos are more effective than those of any other color. I eagerly await the marketing of sustained-release placebos (just take one a month), the placebo patch, and extra-strength placebos (double the inactive ingredients for just 40% more).

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2008-10-25 14:43|| 2008-10-25 14:43|| Front Page Top

#16 The red placebos might be more effective and less harmful than some of the drugs that are dispensed.

Posted by JohnQC 2008-10-25 15:28|| 2008-10-25 15:28|| Front Page Top

#17 Unless these doctors are prescribing otherwise harmless drugs off-label, I don't see how this could possibly work.

Except for samples, I get all my scripts from Express Scripts after one of my doctors faxes the prescription in. Having looked up that the scripts are all prescribed "on label" my question is this: Is there some sort of double-secret-probation-handshake that codes for "send the sugar pill"instead of the med.?

Posted by Minister of funny walks 2008-10-25 16:22|| 2008-10-25 16:22|| Front Page Top

#18 TW I am on high dose (14gr/day) fish oil/omega-3 to raise HDL-C and it has done that. Other things started changing with my health (inflammation reduction, neurological function etc). I looked for a possible cause for these changes after the fact and one possible reason is that they also could be due to fish oil. My take on OTC supplements is that they can indeed help, but only at several times the recommended dose that is on the label.

Posted by Minister of funny walks 2008-10-25 16:33|| 2008-10-25 16:33|| Front Page Top

#19 Another ethical problem with doctors prescribing placebos: some do it because they think their patients have a psychosomatic disorder instead of a real disease. They figure giving placebos will (a) make the patient happy, and (b) make the patient go away. Problem is, a lot of so-called psychosomatic disorders are real -- the doctor just hasn't done the research. Instead of sending them to someone who might actually believe they're not crazy, they charge for ineffective treatments. Not good.

Posted by cinderkeys">cinderkeys 2008-10-25 17:14|| http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com]">[http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com] 2008-10-25 17:14|| Front Page Top

#20 What does the patient care as long as they get better. In fact, Placebo's have ZERO side effects, so if you can get better with a placebo you don't have to worry about your kidneys dying on you. Another attempt of the illuminaties trying to scare us that someone is out to get us. Doctors do the best with what they have to work with and sometimes it just takes a little positive reinforcement to get a person better.

Posted by Sheba Shumble8238">Sheba Shumble8238 2008-10-25 22:06|| 2008-10-25 22:06|| Front Page Top

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