An innovative re-thinking of the placebo effect, first published in 2002, that opens up new ways of understanding the phenomenon.Traditionally, the effectiveness of medical treatments is attributed to specific elements, such as drugs or surgical procedures, but many things happen in medicine which cannot be accounted for in this way. Drugs with widely advertised names can work better than the same drug without the name; inert drugs (placebos, dummies) often have dramatic effects on people; and effects can vary hugely among different European countries where the 'same' medical condition is understood differently. Daniel Moerman reviews these matters, guiding the reader expertly through a very complex body of literature.Traditionally, the effectiveness of medical treatments is attributed to specific elements, such as drugs or surgical procedures, but many things happen in medicine which cannot be accounted for in this way. Drugs with widely advertised names can work better than the same drug without the name; inert drugs (placebos, dummies) often have dramatic effects on people; and effects can vary hugely among different European countries where the 'same' medical condition is understood differently. Daniel Moerman reviews these matters, guiding the reader expertly through a very complex body of literature.Traditionally, the effectiveness of medical treatments is attributed to specific elements, such as drugs or surgical procedures. However, many other factors can significantly effect the outcome. Drugs with nationally advertised names can work better than the same drug without the name. Inert drugs (placebos, dummies) often have dramatic effects on some patients and effects can vary greatly among different European countries where the same medical condition is understood differently. Daniel Moerman traverses a complex subject area in this detailed examination of medical variables. Since 1993, Cambridge Studies in Medical Anthropology has offered researchers and ilĂs
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