The use of the term "placebo" was discussed for very long ago, "placebo" had been used in therapy in associating with jugglery, religion, leading to the art of treating disease. Most physicians recognize the efficacy of placebo and magicians have got success. Placebo has latin origine as "placere" and in singular of future tense it means "I shall make a pleasure".
Placebos ; therapy ;

In a study of 104 patients with cancer pain, doses of placebo, 25 mgs. and 50 mgs. of Pentazocine ("Sosegon") were given orally. It was shown that both sizes gave good pain relief. Side-effects were well-tolerated, with the 25 mg. sizes giving lesser and more tolerable side-effects than the 50 mg sizesThe authors recommend the adoption of 25 mg. size for the Filipino patient with moderate to servere pain. Perhaps an intermediate-sized tablet (30 to 40 mgs) might also be introduced for bigger-sized patients with severe pain. (Summary)
Drug Therapy, Pentazocine, Placebos

Chloroquine (Aralen) and chloroguanide (Paludrine) were tried as suppressants in two different malarious localities in the Philippines for 39 to 40 weeks. The drugs were given under strict supervision in single weekly doses to two groups of subjects and those who developed overt malaria were given therapeutic doses of the respective drugs. Control groups maintained in both localities received sodium bicarbonate as a placebo and those exhibiting overt attacks were treated with quinine sulfate. Test and control subjects who had overt malaria were continued on their respective weekly drugs after a course of treatment as mentioned above. Intensive vector control measures were instituted within and around the localities starting two months before the cessation of suppressive treatment in order to stop transmission, and the number of subjects developing malaria thereafter was recorded for at least 14 weeksThe following observations were made: 1. Among 125 subjects given 0.50 Gm. chloroquine diphosphate once weekly for 39 to 40 weeks, 13 cases were suppressed, but 2 came down with overt malaria during the period of suppressive treatment2. Among 104 subjects given 0.20 Gm. chlorguanide once weekly for 39 to 40 weeks, 13 cases were suppressed, but 17 came down with overt malaria during the period of suppressive treatment3. Among 106 subjects given 0.60 Gm. sodium bicarbonate as a placebo once weekly for 39 to 40 weeks, 54 developed overt malaria4. Eight subjects with P. falciparum either at the onset or during the period of suppression with chloroquine did not exhibit gametocytes at any of the weekly examinations conducted during the 39 weeks of suppressive treatment. Chlorguanide appeared to be ineffective against vivax and falciparum gametocytes5. Among 125 subjects given 0.50 Gm. chloroquine diphosphate once weekly for 39 to 40 weeks, 2 had nausea and vomiting, 1 had vertigo, and 1 had flatulence and the desire to stool soon after taking the drug. These untoward effects were mild, temporary, and did not require withdrawal of the drugIt was shown that with the dosage regimen employed, the suppressive activity of chloroquine was greater than that of chlorguanide. It is possible, however, that with increased dosage chlorguanide may prove to be an efficient suppressantThe response of the infections to chloroquine and chlorguanide, particularly to the latter, was not the same in the two localities, suggesting the presence of different strains of plasmodia in the country. The possibility of the introduction of foreign strains into the Philippines through seeded American and Japanese soldiers during World War II is advanced. (Author)
Plasmodium, Chloroguanide, Chloroquine, Antimalarials, Placebos

The acute effect of a single−dose of caffeine on the P300 event−related brain potential (ERP) was assessed in a study using a repeatedly presented auditory oddball button−press task. A dose (5mg/kg body−weight) of either caffeine or placebo lactose, dissolved in a cup of decaffeinated coffee, was administered double−blindly to coffee drinkers who had abstained from coffee for 24hrs, with the presentation order of the sessions counterbalanced and separated by 2−4 weeks. The caffeine−treatment condition demonstrated a smaller P300 amplitude and a shorter latency overall than the placebo treatment condition. The mean P300 amplitude value difference (caffeine minus placebo) increased with the successive trial blocks. Caffeine ingestion appears to yield a lower resource−consumption and a net increase in allocating attention resources for task performance across repeated measurements.
Caffeine ; Acute ; Caffeine Measurement ; Placebos ; Measured

This study evaluates the effect of a commercial brand of chicken essence (BEC) on the various parameters related to stress and cognition of human volunteers. BEC is produced by a hot-water extraction process from chicken meat under high pressure conditions. It contains concentrated amounts of proteins, amino acids and peptides such as carnosine compared to homemade traditional chicken soup. Due to the unique extraction process, it has been postulated that readily absorbed amino acids and bioactive peptides are present in BEC. In this study, we evaluated the effect of BEC in comparison with a placebo on a group of distressed medical students. Students were randomly divided into two groups and given either BEC or a placebo drink daily for two weeks. Before and after the two weeks, the students were given a series of tests to assess their level of cognitive functioning and perceived stress level while being monitored for EEG recording. The combination of these tests, namely Digit span, Arithmetic and Letter-number sequencing, generally assessed the student’s attention and working memory. The working memory performance of students who ingested essence of chicken was found to be significantly better than those who consumed placebo when data comparing baseline and after two weeks consumption were compared. This study seems to suggest that essence of chicken has positive effects on the subjects’ cognitive functions.
Chickens ; seconds ; week ; cognitive ability ; Placebos

In a double blind study, 32 patients were randomly divided into three treatment groups, namely, placebo, 1 tablet b.i.d., lorazepam 0.5 mg. b.i.d., and lorazepam 1.0 mg. b.i.dCoefficient of regression analysis during the first three weeks of treatment showed significantly faster improvement in both lorazepam groups compared with placebo. With the fourth week included, statistically significant difference was attained only with lorazepam 1.0 mg. b.i.d. compared with placebo. Side effects were seen in 10 patients, including 3 placebo patients; these either promptly responded to reduction in dosage or were transitory without change in dosageLaboratory data before treatment were not significantly different from post-treatment values. Laboratory data before and after treatment showed no evidence of drug toxicityThe efficacy of lorazepam even at low doses of 0.5 mg. b.i.d. and 1.0 mg. b.i.d. attests to its potency as an anti-anxiety agent. (Summary)
Patients, Lorazepam, Placebos, Tranquilizing Agents, Minor

Twenty patients with chronic obstructive bronchopulmonary diseases were put on a clinical trial using oral L-methylcysteine hydrochloride compared to placebo. Fifteen patients improved significantly when given the active drug. Five patients did not improve at all. All patients did not show any response to oral placebo. The patients who were benefited by oral L-methylcysteine demonstrated very convincing reduction in sputum viscosity.(Summary)
Drug Therapy, Sputum, Viscosity, Placebos, Cysteine, Expectorants

BACKGROUND: Palmar hyperhidrosis is a common disorder of excessive sweating. A number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of iontophoresis in the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis. However, controlled clinical studies on iontophoresis for palmar hyperhidrosis have been limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of iontophoresis in the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis with a randomized, sham-controlled, single-blind, and parallel-designed study. METHODS: Twenty nine patients with significant palmar hyperhidrosis were enrolled in this study. They received active iontophoresis treatment (group A) or sham treatment (group B). Iontophoresis was performed 20 minutes each time, five times per week, for 2 weeks. Its efficacy was assessed with starch-iodine test, mean sweat secretion rate, and hyperhidrosis disease severity scale. RESULTS: Twenty-seven of the 29 patients completed the 2-week treatment. After completion of 10 times of treatment, results of the starch-iodine test showed clinical improvement in 92.9% of patients in group A and 38.5% of patients in group B (p=0.001). The mean sweat secretion rate was reduced by 91.8% of patients in group A and by 39.1% of patients in group B (p<0.001). Improvement in quality of life was reported by 78.6% of patients in group A and by 30.8% of patients in group B (p=0.028). In group A, one case of localized adverse event was noted, although no adverse event was encountered in group B. CONCLUSION: Tap water iontophoresis could be used as an effective and safe treatment modality for palmar hyperhidrosis.
Humans ; Hyperhidrosis* ; Iontophoresis* ; Placebos ; Quality of Life ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Water*

Attitude to Health ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Humans ; Placebos

We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy of ginseng supplements on fatigue reduction and physical performance enhancement as reported by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs that investigated the efficacy of ginseng supplements on fatigue reduction and physical performance enhancement compared with placebos were included. The main outcome measures were fatigue reduction and physical performance enhancement. Out of 155 articles meeting initial criteria, 12 RCTs involving 630 participants (311 participants in the intervention group and 319 participants in the placebo group) were included in the final analysis. In the fixed-effect meta-analysis of four RCTs, there was a statistically significant efficacy of ginseng supplements on fatigue reduction (standardized mean difference, SMD = 0.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.16 to 0.52). However, ginseng supplements were not associated with physical performance enhancement in the fixed-effect meta-analysis of eight RCTs (SMD = −0.01; 95% CI = −0.29 to 0.27). We found that there was insufficient clinical evidence to support the use of ginseng supplements on reducing fatigue and enhancing physical performance because only few RCTs with a small sample size have been published so far. Further lager RCTs are required to confirm the efficacy of ginseng supplements on fatigue reduction.
Fatigue* ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Panax* ; Placebos ; Sample Size