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The placebo effect
Professor Irving Kirsch

Placebos have been assessed in more clinical trials than any other treatment. They have been shown to affect a wide variety of disorders. They alter physiology, as well as psychology. The effects can be large and long lasting, and in some cases they can reverse the effects of potent medications. Surgical procedures for the treatment of angina and osteoarthritis have been found to be placebos, and most of the effectiveness of antidepressant medication is due to the placebo effect. The placebo effect reveals the self-healing potential of the human brain. The challenge is to find ways of harnessing this potential with deception.

Professor Irving Kirsch of the University of Plymouth, has published 8 books, 38 book chapters, and more than 160 scientific journal articles on placebo effects, antidepressant medication, hypnosis, and suggestion. His work has been extensively covered in the media, with feature articles in the New York Times, Newsweek, New Scientist, Science, The Lancet, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, Science News, Washington Post, and many other newspapers and magazines around the world. He has appeared in television documentaries and news programs broadcast on BBC2, ABC, HBO, NPR, and The Discovery Channel.

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