The Placebo Effect Doctors at times prescribe patients an inactive substance such as a sugar pill, distilled water, or a saline solution to treat them for mild or serious medical conditions. This substance is called a placebo. Though this substance is kno

The Placebo Effect

Doctors at times prescribe patients an inactive substance such as a sugar pill, distilled water, or a saline solution to treat them for mild or serious medical conditions. This substance is called a placebo. Though this substance is known not to have any real medical value, patients may still improve solely because they believe it is active. When the patient is given this inactive substance and the patient’s symptoms get better, doctors term this the placebo effect. Their expectation that the substance will remedy their condition is enough to influence their physical health, a subject of much research today.