Components of placebo effect: randomised controlled trial in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate whether placebo effects can experimentally be separated into the response to three components-assessment and observation, a therapeutic ritual (placebo treatment), and a supportive patient-practitioner relationship-and then progressively combined to produce incremental clinical improvement in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. To assess the relative magnitude of these components.

Design

A six week single blind three arm randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Academic medical centre.

Participants

262 adults (76% women), mean (SD) age 39 (14), diagnosed by Rome II criteria for and with a score of > or =150 on the symptom severity scale.

Interventions

For three weeks either waiting list (observation), placebo acupuncture alone ("

SUBMITTER: Kaptchuk TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2364862 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature