The placebo elicits more passionate debate, scepticism and personal belief than almost any other aspect of medicine. As yet there are no concrete answers - but many challenging observations and powerful effects occur daily in healthcare which need to be examined. This book will stimulate and inform every reader - from the experienced practitioner to the new student - who has ever asked, "What is the placebo really, and why should it matter to me?" Written in an accessible and engaging style with contributions from leading figures in healthcare, it tackles issues of the placebo effect in complementary medicine.
Author(s): David Peters MBChB DRCOG MFHom MLCOM
Edition: 1
Publisher: Churchill Livingstone
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 249
Front Cover
......Page 1
Back Cover
......Page 2
Title Page
......Page 3
Cover Page
......Page 5
Copyright
......Page 6
Contents
......Page 7
Contributors
......Page 9
Preface
......Page 11
Section 1: Theory
......Page 15
1. Placebos and nocebos: the cultural construction of belief
......Page 17
2. Towards a scientific understanding of placebo effects
......Page 31
3. A critical reanalysis of the concept, magnitude and existence of placebo
......Page 45
4. Behavioural conditioning of the immune system
......Page 65
Section 2: Practice
......Page 81
5. How can we optimize non-specific effects?
......Page 83
6. Some reflections on creating therapeutic consultations
......Page 103
7. Psychoanalysis, complementary medicine and the placebo
......Page 125
8. Intersubjectivity and the therapeutic relationship
......Page 145
9. Placebo responsed in bodywork
......Page 161
10. Healing and Therapeutic Touch: Is it all in the mind?
......Page 179
Section 3: Research
......Page 191
11. Non-specific factors in randomized trials: some methodological considerations
......Page 193
12. The placebo effect and a participatory world view
......Page 203
Epilogue......Page 227
Index......Page 241
