A PAPER published in the journal Pain has revealed that a group of people who knowingly took placebos still reported a 30% reduction in their lower back pain.
Expert in placebos from Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study Ted Kaptchuk said the findings turned their understanding of the placebo effect on its head.
Kaptchuk said while a placebo is never going to "shrink a tumour or unclog an artery" it could assist with pain, fatigue and depression.
The new study means placebos could now be delivered without deception - avoiding ethical dilemmas.
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