Placebo: Why ‘fake’ treatments can have real power
Summary
Hosts Duboki Chakravarti and Sam Jones explore the placebo effect with guests Catherine Hall and Charlotte Blee, discussing how expectations influence clinical trial outcomes and patient care. They examine the distinction between placebo response and effect, the controversial use of open-label placebos, and the negative nocebo effect. The episode also touches on how AI chatbots and doctor-patient rapport impact these psychological phenomena in modern healthcare.
Topics discussed
Intro and Catherine Hall's acupuncture story
Defining placebo effect vs. placebo response
Designing sham surgeries and clinical trials
Subjective vs. objective conditions and conditioning
Genetics, personality, and clinician influence
Ethics of using placebos in medical practice
The nocebo effect and framing side effects
Spirits podcast advertisement
Why placebo effects are increasing over time
Open-label placebos and the doctor-patient relationship
Health inequities and AI chatbots in healthcare
Placebo controls in AI therapy trials
Tiny Show & Tell: Open-label placebos for aging
Tiny Show & Tell: Glycans and HIV cognitive decline
Outro and Progressive insurance ads
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