WHAT IS A CLINICAL RESEARCH TRIAL?
In the medical world, a clinical research trial or clinical research study is usually done to prove whether a new medication or therapy is effective, before it becomes an approved and widely used treatment. Patients with the target disease are often asked to take part in clinical research trials. To show that the new treatment is truly effective, it is often compared to a placebo.
WHAT IS A PLACEBO?
Placebos are usually thought of as “sugar pills.” They are important “sham” or phony treatments that are used to keep doctors and patients honest in testing new drugs or procedures. To prove that a drug works, it is generally tested against a placebo: a “dummy” medication that should have no effect on the condition.
Placebos are not only drugs. Sometimes patients get sham or phony surgery, sham radiation, or some other “pretend” treatment. Many patients and many doctors are unaware of the strength of “mind over matter.” I often tell my patients about a person who was in a study where the drug did not work. He insisted that the drug did work, and that he should be given the drug after the study ended. It turned out that he was not receiving the …
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