“At least since Henry K. Beecher’s famous article about the “powerful placebo” it has been known that placebo pills or interventions can have beneficial effects. While the idea of placebos is certainly much older, Beecher’s publication marks perhaps the first major scientific acknowledgment of placebos as a potential treatment. Since then, it is widely accepted that a placebo treatment can have a significant impact for a wide variety of symptoms. Unfortunately, placebos have a major disadvantage. Since deception is thought to be crucial, treatment with placebos is associated with severe ethical problems, for example, the undermining of informed consent, respect for persons, and trust between patient and healthcare provider. Until very recently, the idea of giving placebos without deception would have been considered ridiculous. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that even prescribing placebos when patients know they are receiving placebos (open-label placebos, OLP) may help patients with clinical disorders and individuals with nonclinical symptoms. OLPs have been shown to have beneficial effects in a variety of symptoms based on patient subjective reports, including, for example, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, pain, anxiety, and emotional distress.”
