J. Williams <mackeral@remove~this~first~yahoo.com> wrote:
: Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, you have the ability
: to alter your diastolic reading by +/- 20 mm Hg for 3 minutes
No; I said I raised it once. I doubt that it lasted long. All sorts of
things raise blood pressure temporarily. I'm told that meditation lowers
it and I wouldn't be surprised. BP is notoriously variable.
I doubt if there
: would be a statistically significant difference between a placebo
: treatment and a control (no-treatment) vis a vis the diastolic reading
I disagree. Of course there NEVER is NO TREATMENT; you just don't know
what else is going on. A randomized placebo study controls for something
one thinks is important and randomizes everything else, exactly the
concept that Fisher first introduced.
: As I understand your position, you maintain the diastolic readings may
: be subjective as well and can be "willed" up or down even in a
: controlled lab setting.
Certainly up and probably down (but I havn't done a controlled experiment)
I believe the point of the Danes was that a placebo should be used in
research but that physicians should think that they can "cure" people with
placebos; I agree.
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