THE PLACEBO EFFECT - GOOD ADVERTISING IMPROVES DRUG EFFECTIVENESS

University of Chicago scientists conducted an experiment to see how well Claritin ads affected the antihistamine's effectiveness.

 

In the abstract for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science paper where they recorded their results, the authors wrote:

 

We conclude that branded drugs can interact with exposure to television advertisements.

 

Although the study raised many questions, a bizarre one is whether advertising should be prescribed along with the medication! 

 

Read more, with link to the study -

http://io9.com/bizarre-study-shows-that-advertising-improves-effective-992610371

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While all this appears to be quite ridiculous, the fact is that the placebo effect has a big role to play during drug trials.  Much of the credit that drug makers claim for their products is owed in large part to that placebo effect, since the margin between a drug's effectiveness and uselessness is often quite narrow.
 

The Placebo Phenomenon

Researchers have found that placebo treatments—interventions with no active drug ingredients—can stimulate real physiological responses, from changes in heart rate and blood pressure to chemical activity in the brain, in cases involving pain, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and even some symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Read more:  http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/01/the-placebo-phenomenon

 

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RELATED:

Half of drug overdoses in the US caused by prescription drugs

http://news.yahoo.com/prescription-drugs-cause-more-half-deadly-drug-overdoses-224600641.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2314091/The-drugs-kill-Americans-How-80-000-deaths-year-unintentional-medicines.html

Prescription drugs kill 6,200% more Americans than homicidal shootings
http://www.naturalnews.com/036599_gun_control_prescription_drugs_deaths.html

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Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/08/the-placebo-effect-good-advertising.html

 

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