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Aussie Doctors Prescribing Placebos...
#1
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Aussie Doctors Prescribing Placebos...
When going to the GP [MD in USA], most people expect to leave with medication
to fix an illness—or at least a treatment plan to tackle it. But Australian-first
research reveals doctors are instead giving many patients placebos, ranging
from water-based injections to unnecessary antibiotics.

Survey shows most Australian doctors give patients active placebos.

   77% of doctors reported giving 'active placebos'
   39% of doctors give 'inactive placebos'

I think these claims need to be reassessed considering that only 136 doctors
across Australia were surveyed—hardly a significant sample number considering
that there are currently 119,00 generalist and specialist doctors practising here.
I would've thought sample size of at least 1,000 would be necessary in order to
make such broad brush claims.

I also note that the report claims that saline nasal sprays are "inactive placebos".
This is demonstrably wrong, so how many of their other interpretations are bogus?

Saline solution restores moisture to dry nasal passages and sinuses, and curbs
inflammation of mucous membranes. Saline sprays also help keep the cilia in your
nose healthy. Cilia are small hair-like structures that help humidify the air going into
the lungs, trap bacteria to prevent them from entering the cells, and aid the sense
of smell. If you use saline irrigation regularly, it can help to thin mucus, give you
less postnasal drip (and sore throats), and cleanse your nasal sinuses of bacteria.

—As a chronic sufferer of allergic rhinitis, I can vouch for this.
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#2

Aussie Doctors Prescribing Placebos...
It depends on what the doctor says the saline spray is going to accomplish. Help with nasal congestion, not placebo,............ cure arthritis, placebo. 

OZ does not sound that different from the rest of the world.: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6108457/
Being told you're delusional does not necessarily mean you're mental. 
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#3

Aussie Doctors Prescribing Placebos...
I have no doubt some doctors give placebos to some people. Complex issue.


As as platoon medic, I used a placebo ONCE . We were out bush. I had no strong analgesic except morphia. Bloke had a blinding migraine. We had camped for the night. I gave him ONE unmarked aspirin, telling him it was a powerful pain killer. That it would take away his migraine in about 20 minutes, and that he would then fall into a deep sleep. I told the sergeant within the bloke's hearing the same thing, and perhaps not put him on guard duty. It worked. Bloke thanked me the next morning. I had used his trust . Never did it again. Plus it might not have worked. A bad practice on a regular basis.
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#4

Aussie Doctors Prescribing Placebos...
Placebo effect is well known among the medical community.   I know we atheists might not want to hear it but the mind body connection is pretty strong in all of us.  

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-he...ebo-effect

Quote:our mind can be a powerful healing tool when given the chance. The idea that your brain can convince your body a fake treatment is the real thing — the so-called placebo effect — and thus stimulate healing has been around for millennia. Now science has found that under the right circumstances, a placebo can be just as effective as traditional treatments.
"The placebo effect is more than positive thinking — believing a treatment or procedure will work. It's about creating a stronger connection between the brain and body and how they work together," says Professor Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, whose research focuses on the placebo effect.
Placebos won't lower your cholesterol or shrink a tumor. Instead, placebos work on symptoms modulated by the brain, like the perception of pain. "Placebos may make you feel better, but they will not cure you," says Kaptchuk. "They have been shown to be most effective for conditions like pain management, stress-related insomnia, and cancer treatment side effects like fatigue and nausea."

It gets even weider. Even when people are told the pills are placebos they have a positive reaction. 

Quote:Placebos often work because people don't know they are getting one. But what happens if you know you are getting a placebo?

A 2014 study led by Kaptchuk and published in Science Translational Medicine explored this by testing how people reacted to migraine pain medication. One group took a migraine drug labeled with the drug's name, another took a placebo labeled "placebo," and a third group took nothing. The researchers discovered that the placebo was 50% as effective as the real drug to reduce pain after a migraine attack.

I've had acupuncture and felt better afterwards and I fucking KNOW it's placebo effect because there's no proof acupuncture is doing anything real.   But I'll be honest, even though I'm a life long atheist I'm still not above the placebo effect.  Go figure.
                                                         T4618
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