Placebo: A placebo is a substance or

A placebo is a substance or medical procedure that resembles an actual treatment but does not actually act on a disease or medical condition; in effect it is a fake treatment, offered for ... Placebos are inactive substances or interventions, most often used in controlled studies for comparison with potentially active drugs. The term placebo (Latin for “I will please”) initially referred to an inactive, harmless substance given to patients to make them feel better by the power of suggestion. More recently, sham interventions (eg, mock electrical stimulation or simulated surgical procedures in clinical trials) have also been considered placebos. The term is sometimes used for ... PLACEBO definition: 1. a substance given to someone who is told that it is a particular medicine, either to make that…. Learn more. Does the placebo effect mean failure or success? For years, a placebo effect was considered a sign of failure. A placebo is used in clinical trials to test the effectiveness of treatments and is most often used in drug studies. For instance, people in one group get the actual drug, while the others receive an inactive drug, or placebo .