Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks

No one understands why a placebo – a pill containing only sugar – can be used to treat a large range of conditions, such as tooth pain and angina. But somehow they do work.

In part, it is the “theater” of placebos that is crucial to their ability to help our bodies heal. For instance, details such as packaging, price and color all affect our expectations – and thus the outcome – of the treatment itself.

Studies have shown, for example, that a dose of four placebo pills performs better than two, and an injection performs better than a pill. Furthermore, pink placebo pills can make you feel motivated while blue ones relax you.

In another study on the treatment of narrowed arteries, a “sciencey-looking” laser catheter that administered no actual treatment was almost as effective as the real treatment!

The secret to placebo treatments is that the patient feels like they are being treated, and that’s all it actually takes to affect results. Because of this phenomenon, real treatments can be compared against placebos to determine their efficacy.

For example, many believe that homeopathy treatments (which are basically just water) work, because they seem to have cured illnesses. Yet when we compare them to placebos in blind, randomized trials, they work no better than the placebo itself.

But although placebos have many benefits, they are also surrounded by ethical issues.

In essence, a placebo is a sham treatment, often little more than a sugar pill. When sick patients are given one in a trial, it could be the case that they miss out on vital treatment and actually get worse.

For example, between 1932 and 1972, the US Public Health Service left 399 poor black men with syphilis under the impression that they were receiving treatment – without actually providing any – just to see what would happen. Sadly, they only got worse, and the government didn’t even apologize until 1997.