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High-throughput Fluorometric Measurement of Potential Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activities
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[Not Available].

Rémy Bonssageon1, François Gueyffier2, Alain Moreau1

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The placebo effect, often cited as 35% effective, may not be accurately measured in clinical trials. This challenges how we objectify and understand psychological therapeutic effects in medicine.

Keywords:
artefactcontrôléeffet placeboessai cliniquemeasurementmesureplacebo effectrandomised clinical trial

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Area of Science:

  • Psychosomatic medicine
  • Clinical trial methodology
  • Epistemology of therapeutic effects

Context:

  • Controlled clinical trials have utilized placebos for 50 years, suggesting measurable psycho-physiological effects.
  • The "placebo effect" is widely recognized, with studies citing an average 35% efficacy across various symptoms.
  • However, the interpretation of these measurements is debated, particularly regarding spontaneous symptom evolution.

Purpose:

  • To question the validity of measuring the "placebo effect" in controlled clinical trials.
  • To explore the epistemological challenges in objectifying psychological therapeutic effects through experimentation.
  • To assess the clinical relevance of objectifying these psycho-physiological effects in medical care.

Summary:

  • This article critically examines the measurement of the "placebo effect" in clinical trials, arguing it may be methodologically flawed.
  • It highlights that the effect measured in placebo groups doesn't isolate the psychological component, as spontaneous disease progression is not accounted for.
  • The study questions whether the widely accepted "placebo effect" can be truly objectified and measured experimentally.

Impact:

  • This research prompts a re-evaluation of how therapeutic outcomes are assessed in clinical research.
  • It encourages a deeper understanding of the distinction between true drug efficacy and non-specific treatment effects.
  • The findings may influence future trial designs and the interpretation of psychological influences in patient care.