The Placebo Effect And Randomized Trials: Analysis Of Conventional Medicine

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.