Scand J Work Environ Health. 1997;23 Suppl 3:53-7.
Placebo--the forgotten drug.Boström H.
The placebo effect is seen in patients who have been the target of intervention believed to lack specific action. This effect seems to be an important, and possibly the only, contribution to the positive effect of alternative medicine sometimes reported. The risks involved in the uncritical utilization of the placebo effect are, however, great and must be carefully considered. Most of the information available on this effect has been obtained from double-blind studies in connection with the introduction of new drugs. Depending on the kind of effect that is expected, improvements of up to 30% or more can be noted. Many attempts have been made to explain the nature of the placebo effect. Thus it has been suggested that a placebo acts by decreasing anxiety. Another explanation is that a placebo acts by meeting the expectations of the patient. It has also been proposed that the human placebo response has characteristics of a conditioned response.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17550344
Annu Rev Psychol. 2008;59:565-90.
A comprehensive review of the placebo effect: recent advances and current thought.
Price DD1, Finniss DG, Benedetti F.
Our understanding and conceptualization of the placebo effect has shifted in emphasis from a focus on the inert content of a physical placebo agent to the overall simulation of a therapeutic intervention. Research has identified many types of placebo responses driven by different mechanisms depending on the particular context wherein the placebo is given. Some placebo responses, such as analgesia, are initiated and maintained by expectations of symptom change and changes in motivation/emotions. Placebo factors have neurobiological underpinnings and actual effects on the brain and body. They are not just response biases. Other placebo responses result from less conscious processes, such as classical conditioning in the case of immune, hormonal, and respiratory functions. The demonstration of the involvement of placebo mechanisms in clinical trials and routine clinical practice has highlighted interesting considerations for clinical trial design and opened up opportunities for ethical enhancement of these mechanisms in clinical practice.









http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8712773

Annu Rev Med. 1996;47:193-9.
Harnessing the power of the placebo effect and renaming it "remembered wellness".
Benson H1, Friedman R.
Abstract The placebo effect yields beneficial clinical results in 60-90% of diseases that include angina pectoris, bronchial asthma, herpes simplex, and duodenal ulcer. Three components bring forth the placebo effect: (a) positive beliefs and expectations on the part of the patient; (b) positive beliefs and expectations on the part of the physician or health care professional; and (c) a good relationship between the two parties. Because of the heavily negative connotations of the very words "placebo effect, " the term should be replaced by "remembered wellness." Remembered wellness has been one of medicine's most potent assets and it should not be belittled or ridiculed. Unlike most other treatments, it is safe and inexpensive and has withstood the test of time.






http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17437679
Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2007 May;7(2):100-4.
The power of the placebo.Eccles R.
The placebo is much more than a control medicine in a clinical trial. The placebo response is the largest component of any allergy treatment and consists of two components: nonspecific effects (eg, natural recovery) and a "true placebo effect" that is the psychological therapeutic effect of the treatment. Belief in the beneficial nature of the treatment is a key component of the true placebo effect, and can be enhanced by factors such as interaction with the physician and the sensory impact of the treatment. Negative beliefs can generate a nocebo effect that may explain some psychogenic illnesses; this is the basis of much research in psychoneuroimmunology. An understanding of the placebo and nocebo effects is important for general allergy practice, and harnessing the power of the true placebo effect is a major challenge to modern medicine.