[Sca-cooks] Placebos.

[Randy Goldberg MD]

> I'm not going to go into it, too much, how much I *HATE* placebos.  Ya
see, I'm a 'REAL PAIN' kinda guy.  I've been on pain killers twice in my
life, both times for a case of strep so severe if I hadn't behaved myself it
woulda been scarlatina.  In order to be able to ingest ANYTHING, I had to
take Percocet.
>
> Placebos are evil evil things that should be reserved for those people who
honest to god only THINK they are in pain.  Like elderly folks with 'heart
conditions' that don't show up on cardiac monitoring, etc..  Maybe the
occasional hypocondriac.. (Though from what I know of them, they'll be
diabetics soon enough with a sugar based placebo).
>
> I'm almost off my soapbox, but let me say in closing that I rarely see
justification for deception as a method of medical treatment.

Just for the record, the American Medical Association Code of Ethics states
that it is UNETHICAL for a physician to prescribe a placebo without
informing the patient. Placebo-controlled research studies MUST so indicate
in the informed consent document.

Randy Goldberg MD