Take Two Sugar Pills and Call Me in the Morning: Placebos work, but are they ethical?


 

Publication Date: January 2008

Publisher: Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace

Author(s): Philip R. Alper

Research Area: Health

Keywords: Medicine; Health; Placebo

Type: Brief

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Placebos have been used effectively for years, both with and without the patient's knowledge and approval. Is it ethical to prescribe a placebo?