Have you ever been given a placebo? In a recent study, the AMA Ethics Board concludes that secret placebo treatment is improper.
The American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) has decided that it is unethical for doctors to offer placebo therapy without patient consent. To be incorporated into the AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics, the AMA House of Delegates, the organization’s national policy-making body, must vote in favor of the ruling. This ruling was reported in the journal Virtual Mentor (Volume 8, page 377).
A placebo therapy is one that the doctor does not know to be helpful, but a patient believes may be an effective medicine. Sometimes people in clinical studies who take placebo pills improve even more than people taking an actual drug.
While use of inactive placebos is common in research, placebo use in routine clinical practice is controversial. A fictitious scenario presented to explain the policy is that of a 39-year-old woman who complains of fatigue and asks for an energy booster. An unethical response, the CEJA decision indicates, would be to give her an injection of inactive saline (the placebo), calling it a “vitamin boost” that could cure the fatigue. If the famous placebo effect kicks in, she might feel more energetic, but at the cost of being deceived and misinformed. The doctor would have failed to engage her in a truly informed discussion of her problem and her treatment options.
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns
Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer
Health Alerts registered users may post comments and share experiences here at their own discretion. We regret that questions on individual health concerns to the Johns Hopkins editors cannot be answered in this space.
The views expressed here do not constitute medical advice, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins Medicine or MediZine LLC, which has no responsibility for any comments posted on this site.
Post a Comment
Comment(offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
2009 Prescription Drugs White Paper Used inappropriately, prescription medicines may not help very much and can even cause harm. Understanding how prescription medicines are created, tested, marketed, and dispensed is important in order to maximize their benefits and minimize their risks. This White Paper will help you to be a more informed consumer of prescription drugs. It cannot tell you which medications are best for you; your doctor and/or pharmacist will offer guidance in using your own prescription drugs safely, cost-effectively, and to your greatest benefit. What you learn from this document will help you to ask the right questions and have a better understanding of the answers. Read more or order the INSTANT PDF DOWNLOAD EDITION
The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs Contains drug profiles on more than 750 medications–both prescription and over-the-counter, most commonly used by people over 50, all presented in our unique page-at-a-glance format, designed with you in mind, the busy person who wants the most reliable health information available at your fingertips. Your guide also includes an invaluable overview of dietary supplements and how they can interact with certain medications, the dangers of taking your pills with grapefruit juice, and more. Because you owe it to yourself to know everything you can about the medicines you take.Read more...
The Johns Hopkins Medical Guide to Health After 50 A comprehensive home medical encyclopedia that gives you a “crash course” on more than 100 major medical concerns of men and women over 50! Organized in an easy-to-use A to Z format, the Medical Guide provides in-depth explanations of the many chronic health problems associated with aging – high blood pressure, stroke, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, dementia, memory loss, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and gallstones, to name but a few.Read more or order...
Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies This easy-to-use reference book can help you pinpoint the causes of hundreds of disorders, from abdominal pain to skin rash to swollen glands. The book is divided into two distinct sections: symptoms, which includes charts covering a wide range of common symptoms and possible diagnoses, and disorders, which discusses the disorder, its causes, prevention advice, treatment strategies, and other crucial information so you will be able to either treat yourself at home, or know when it's time to call a doctor. Read more or order...
The Johns Hopkins Hospital has been ranked #1 again in the Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News and World Report for the 19th consecutive year.
Please send me The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs
Yes! Please send me The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs for just $29.97, plus shipping and handling. I may review it risk-FREE for 30 days. If not completely satisfied, I may return the book, no questions asked.
A contemporary drug encyclopedia for your home with the authority of America's #1 medical center behind it.
Has your pharmacy given you the right medication?
Are there alternate drugs for your condition that might have fewer side effects?
Is an herbal supplement likely to interact adversely with your medications?
This fully illustrated guide contains drug profiles on more than 750 medications—both prescription and over-the-counter, mostly commonly prescribed for the over 50 population. It also includes a guide to dietary supplements.
Order today! Because you owe it to yourself to know everything you can about the medicines you take.
Your risk-free review. Yours to review risk-free. If you are not satisfied with The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs for any reason, simply return the book, no questions asked.
