Hi
On 24 May 2001, David Heiser wrote:
> Be careful on your assumptions in your models and studies!
> ---------------------------------------------------
> Placebo Effect An Illusion, Study Says
> By Gina Kolata
> New York Times
> (Published in the Sacramento Bee, Thursday, May 24, 2001)
...
> He and Gotzsche began looking for well-conducted studies that divided
> patients into three groups, giving one a real medical treatment, one a
> placebo and one nothing at all. That was the only way, they reasoned, to
> decide whether placebos had any medical effect.
>
> They found 114, published between 1946 and 1998. When they analyzed the
> data, they could detect no effects of placebos on objective measurements,
> like cholesterol levels or blood pressure.
Was there some reason that they did not include studies with only
2 groups: no treatment and placebo? Only those two groups are
necessary to determine whether placebo differs from no treatment.
Best wishes
Jim
============================================================================
James M. Clark (204) 786-9757
Department of Psychology (204) 774-4134 Fax
University of Winnipeg 4L05D
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark
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