CPM-05 - Justice for Placebo

The placebo effect has been recognized from ancient times. Greek physician Galen stated that “the patient’s trust in the doctor and in the medicine employed was more important than the treatment method itself.” Initial studies in the 1950s showed that the average placebo response in different conditions is about 35% and numerous studies showed that placebo not only changes subjective perception of pain, but also could change objective measures such as levels of cytokines, inflammatory mediators, EKG changes, etc. The current session will identify all factors that could contribute to the placebo response, not only from the patient side, but also from the physician side and the importance of the patient physician relationship and interaction having a beneficial effect. We will discuss how much we rely on that “placebo effect” in our everyday practice and how patients can utilize their inner energy which could benefit the outcomes. Furthermore, in this session we will explain all challenges of having placebo or sham control groups when conducting double blind placebo-controlled trials.