05 Jul How do placebos work?

Skeptic magazine documents our current (somewhat frail) understanding of placebos:

We not only know placebos “work,” we know there is a hierarchy of effectiveness:

• Placebo injections work better than placebo pills
• Capsules work better than tablets
• Big pills work better than small
• The more doses a day, the better
• The more expensive, the better
• The color of the pill makes a difference
• Telling the patient, “This will relieve your pain” works better than saying “This might help.”

By understanding placebos, we gain, among other things some insight into the persistent appeal of homeopathy, “the ultimate placebo because its remedies usually contain nothing but water.”