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Placebo Effect

Meaning

The placebo effect is a genuine psychobiological phenomenon where a patient experiences a perceived or measurable improvement in their symptoms or condition following the administration of an inert substance or sham procedure, which is attributed solely to the expectation of benefit. This effect is a complex interaction between a patient’s belief, prior conditioning, and the ritualistic clinical context, resulting in real physiological changes mediated by endogenous neurochemical pathways. It is a critical consideration in the design and interpretation of randomized, controlled clinical trials.