Comments on: tautologous, but highly patentable

By: An Effective Placebo | nyn9 com

An Effective Placebo | nyn9 com — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:01:56 +0000

[...] mechanism of the placebo effect is a field of great interest and potentially great importance. Tom Lee says, with certain sense of regressive irony: That’s right: someday soon scientists may be working to [...]

By: Zaratustra

Zaratustra — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:53:46 +0000

How will they test them?

By: Xenobiologista

Xenobiologista — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:16:45 +0000

There is a person who is selling sugar pills called Obecalp. The name of her company is “Efficacy Brands, LLC” (ironic) and her website says “Invented by a mommy!” at the top of the home page. Her idea is that it’s perfectly OK for parents to give their kids pills to shut them up when they’re fussing about some minor complaint, which I think is a horrible idea because it’ll teach them that medication solves everything.

By: CG

CG — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:54:37 +0000

Sorry. Hopefully your joke has not really been ruined, and stands on its own merits.
When I first read your post I thought you were implying that Derek Lowe was somehow being an idiot, as in “hey everyone, look at this knucklehead who’s going on about developing a placebo pill!” But I when I followed the link and found a perfectly smart blog post, I was disappointed.

By: Ogre

Ogre — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:31:19 +0000

NERRRRRRRRDS!

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:16:03 +0000

Haha… that’s fantastic.

By: Victor

Victor — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:27:02 +0000

If you haven’t heard it, the RadioLab episode on placebos is awesome.
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2007/05/18
Money anecdote: In every country in the world blue or purple placebo sleeping pills are more effective than red or yellow pills, save one. In Italy, for men only, blue pills are worse sleeping pill placebos because Italian men get AMPED when they think of the Azzuri.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:06:38 +0000

Thank you, Zak. That was my point, and the basis of the joke, before it was ruined by sanctimonious pedanticism.

By: rafinlay

rafinlay — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:33:38 +0000

I am currently seeking investors for a line of products to be marketed as “PLACEBO BRAND” drugs. Clinically proven — there is no more ubiquitous research finding than the positive effect of PLACEBOS. And by their very nature, there are no damaging side effects, since it is also known that these drugs have absolutely no physical impact.
I tell you this is an idea whose time has come.

By: Zak

Zak — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:41:49 +0000

Actually, there is no reason why such a pill couldn’t be developed. There has to be some neurological/physiological mechanism by which the placebo effect works (and not just for depression, as in Dereck’s post, but in other more concrete illnesses as well), and this could be the target for a drug.