The Placebo Effect And Randomized Trials: Analysis Of Conventional Medicine

February 2002 in “ Urologic clinics of North America ”

Mark A. Moyad

alopecia benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH

TLDR The document concludes that it's important to understand the placebo effect when evaluating the effectiveness of treatments in medical trials.

The document discusses the importance of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in determining the efficacy of drugs and supplements, emphasizing the necessity of including a placebo group to accurately assess treatment effects. It highlights the significance of the placebo response, which has been a topic of interest in medical research for over fifty years. The paper calls for a reevaluation of the placebo effect in light of the rising use of dietary supplements and herbal medications. It reviews the placebo response in a variety of conditions, including allergies, asthma, alopecia, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), erectile dysfunction, osteoporosis, and weight loss, as observed in conventional medical RCTs.

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Research cited in this study

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research Lack of Efficacy of Finasteride in Postmenopausal Women with Androgenetic Alopecia

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Finasteride doesn't effectively treat hair loss in postmenopausal women.

Measuring Reversal of Hair Miniaturization in Androgenetic Alopecia by Follicular Counts in Horizontal Sections of Serial Scalp Biopsies: Results of Finasteride 1mg Treatment of Men and Postmenopausal Women

research Measuring Reversal of Hair Miniaturization in Androgenetic Alopecia by Follicular Counts in Horizontal Sections of Serial Scalp Biopsies: Results of Finasteride 1mg Treatment of Men and Postmenopausal Women

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Minoxidil helps hair growth and reduces shedding in women.

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Minoxidil 2% effectively treats female hair loss, promoting growth and density.

research Australian Trial of Topical Minoxidil and Placebo in Early Male Pattern Baldness

11 citations, April 1990 in “Australasian Journal of Dermatology”

Minoxidil modestly increases hair growth in men with early baldness and is safe to use.

research Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Evaluation of Topical Minoxidil in Extensive Alopecia Areata

104 citations, March 1987 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Minoxidil helps hair growth in 63.6% of alopecia patients, with 27.3% having excellent results.

research Androgenetic Alopecia: Treatment Results with Topical Minoxidil

39 citations, March 1987 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Topical minoxidil is a safe and effective treatment for hair loss caused by androgenetic alopecia.

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FCE 28260 (PNU 156765), an under-explored 5α-reductase inhibitor, showcases promising results in research by Giudici et al., outperforming well-known treatments like Finasteride in reducing the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Its superior efficacy, demonstrated through lower IC50 values in both natural and human recombinant enzyme studies, suggests it could offer more effective management of DHT-related conditions. Additionally, its lower molecular weight hints at better potential for topical application, potentially offering advantages in treating conditions such as androgenic alopecia. Despite its potential, it has not advanced in development, possibly due to financial limitations, leaving its therapeutic prospects and side effect profile largely unexplored.

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