Placebos without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Ted J. Kaptchuk; Elizabeth Friedlander; John M. Kelley; M. Norma Sanchez; Efi Kokkotou; Joyce P. Singer; Magda Kowalczykowski; Franklin G. Miller; Irving Kirsch; Anthony J. Lembo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015591

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Placebos without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Ted J. Kaptchuk ,

* E-mail: ted_kaptchuk@hms.harvard.edu

Affiliations Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Osher Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯
Elizabeth Friedlander,

Affiliation Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯
John M. Kelley,

Affiliations Psychology Department, Endicott College, Beverly, Massachusetts, United States of America, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯
M. Norma Sanchez,

Affiliation Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯
Efi Kokkotou,

Affiliation Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯
Joyce P. Singer,

Affiliation Osher Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯
Magda Kowalczykowski,

Affiliation Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯
Franklin G. Miller,

Affiliation Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
⨯
Irving Kirsch,

Affiliation Department of Psychology, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
⨯
Anthony J. Lembo

Affiliation Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯

Placebos without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Ted J. Kaptchuk,
Elizabeth Friedlander,
John M. Kelley,
M. Norma Sanchez,
Efi Kokkotou,
Joyce P. Singer,
Magda Kowalczykowski,
Franklin G. Miller,
Irving Kirsch,
Anthony J. Lembo

Published: December 22, 2010
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015591

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why not use real measures to look at improvement?

Posted by ellenli on 28 Dec 2010 at 02:23 GMT

At first I thought this was meant as a caricature of a study but since it seems to be "real" in some sense why not make it really real? That is, instead of using typical junk measures, have the subjects keep a symptom/medication diary and prior to actually doing the study define what you will consider to be improvement?

wrt the other comments about using fiber as a placebo: I wonder just how much was being used. 4 pills a day of what size?

Last, a 7 point scale should not be analysed using a t-test but even so does anyone really believe that a 1 point difference, between "no change" and "slight change" has any substantive meaning?

No competing interests declared.

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Placebos without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Placebos without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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why not use real measures to look at improvement?

Posted by ellenli on 28 Dec 2010 at 02:23 GMT