This document reports on a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of open-label placebo treatment on patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The study found that open-label placebos, when administered with a persuasive rationale and in a supportive patient-practitioner relationship, resulted in significant symptom improvement compared to a no-treatment control group. The trial suggests that placebos can be effective without deception, challenging the conventional belief that placebo effects require concealment. The study was conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and involved 80 patients, primarily female, with IBS diagnosed by Rome III criteria.
documents/EFTA01155955.pdf
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