2007-07-20 06:13:27 · 9 answers · asked by Amanda S 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
pla·ce·bo
NOUN:
pl. pla·ce·bos or pla·ce·boes
A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.
An inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug.
Something of no intrinsic remedial value that is used to appease or reassure another.
(plä-chb) Roman Catholic Church The service or office of vespers for the dead.
2007-07-20 06:17:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
It's basically a non-active, inert pill, with no active ingredient.
They are used mostly in clinical trials. When a drug company wants to get FDA approval on a drug, they'll use X-number of volunteer participants. A certain percentage of them will receive the real drug, and others get the placebo. Sometimes, they'll have a group of participants take an combination of placebo/real drug.
The Clinical Researchers do this so that they can obtain massive amounts of patient feedback, with lots of different results. The patients are blinded to what pill they are actually receiving so that the results are valid and not fixed.
Sometimes, the placebo group actually reports feeling actual drug effects. Some believe that they are so convinced they are getting real drug, they "will" it to work.
But that's really it! If you're on birth control, you'll notice that usually the last week of your pill pack is a different color....those are placebos, but they're there so that you keep up on your routine of taking it daily.
2007-07-20 13:39:01 · answer #2 · answered by gnomiechick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically a substitute for real medicine. Oddly, tests have shown that a lot of people get better when only taking a placebo for a variety of illnesses. Interesting what the mind can do.
2007-07-20 13:21:34 · answer #3 · answered by ghouly05 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
placbo is what they use 2 make people think theyve done something, eg, medical wise, theyl give them something which isnt going to do anyhing anyway and just say that it did, which because of the psychological effect of the brain thinking somethings happend, it will feel it happening, which is what its sometimes called the "placbo effect"
because they believe somethings happening, they feel it happening
2007-07-20 13:39:26 · answer #4 · answered by mikeeboi1029 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A sugar Pill.
2007-07-20 13:18:28 · answer #5 · answered by Bored guy 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
My Medical Book says it is " inactive substance "
hope this helps..
2007-07-20 13:26:33 · answer #6 · answered by Angell 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A sugar pill or salt water.
2007-07-20 13:26:03 · answer #7 · answered by jennybaratta2002 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hate to be an *** here, but it's called a dictionary. Check it out.
2007-07-20 13:23:24 · answer #8 · answered by TK 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Mrs Batista is correct AND doesn't she look like her husband? lol ;-)
2007-07-20 13:22:05 · answer #9 · answered by Agony Aunt 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋