A placebo is a treatment with no active medical ingredient, given to see how a patient’s belief or expectations affect their health.
From Latin 'placebo' meaning 'I shall please', from 'placere' meaning 'to please'. It was originally used in prayers, then for medicines meant more to comfort than to cure.
Placebos prove that your brain is not just a passenger—it can trigger real physical changes based on what you believe. In some trials, sugar pills and fake surgeries have produced measurable improvements simply because patients expected to get better.
Placebo research and clinical trials historically underrepresented women, leading to gender-biased assumptions about efficacy and side effects. Gendered stereotypes sometimes shaped interpretations of placebo responses, attributing them differently to men and women.
When discussing placebos, note that placebo effects and trial outcomes can differ by sex and gender, and inclusive research design should reflect that.
Acknowledge contributions of women researchers and clinicians who pushed for sex-balanced clinical trials and better understanding of placebo effects across genders.
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