3ryon
Expectation Effect: Placebo
When tested against ‘Sham acupuncture’ (where the operator inserts needles at random locations) ‘Real acupuncture’ performs equally as well. That’s not to say that the receiver does not report an effect of the treatment, they often do report a benefit. If there were no effect then using the phrase “placebo effect” would not be appropriate. However, since both the ‘sham’ & ‘real’ acupuncture accrue the same level of effect we know that the location of the needles isn’t actually important. What is important is that the subject believes that inserting the needles will have an effect.
Expectation Effect: Placebo
When tested against ‘Sham acupuncture’ (where the operator inserts needles at random locations) ‘Real acupuncture’ performs equally as well. That’s not to say that the receiver does not report an effect of the treatment, they often do report a benefit. If there were no effect then using the phrase “placebo effect” would not be appropriate. However, since both the ‘sham’ & ‘real’ acupuncture accrue the same level of effect we know that the location of the needles isn’t actually important. What is important is that the subject believes that inserting the needles will have an effect.