Antonaci, F., Chimento, P., Sances, G., & Bono, G. (2007). Lessons from placebo effects in migraine treatment. The Journal of Headache and Pain.
The article by Antonaci et al. (2007) offer an in-depth analysis of placebo effect and how effective it is as a method in treating migraine. Antonaci et al. indicate that one of the most important methodological tools in treating migraine in medical practice is placebo effect which mimics real treatment and causes patients to develop improved health.
However, the authors of this article also state that patients being given a particular treatment may have a negative perception of the treatment, a phenomenon that may cause nocebo effect and adverse consequences. They conclude by pointing out that despite the fact that even though placebo is still a preferred treatment of migraine, more research and trials need to be conducted and medical ethics followed.
Barnhill, A. (2011). What it takes to defend deceptive placebo use. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal.
The article what it takes to defend deceptive placebo use by Barnhill is a comprehensive analysis of ethics related to use of placebo. Barnhil is categorical that deceptive placebo use violates the autonomy of patients and denies patients the right to give consent on the nature of treatment they require. The author clearly objects to unethical placebo practices and calls for honesty in administering treatment to patients.
Bennedeti, F., Carlino, E., & Pollo, A. (2011). How placebos change the patient’s brain. Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews.
In this article, Bennedeti, Carlino and Pollo (2011) argue that placebo has a mechanism that changes the perception of a patient and works well in bringing therapeutic interventions and treatment of various medical conditions.
The authors of this article use ideas and concepts from neuroscience to indicate how anxiety and expectation is developed in a patient’s brain and how learning phenomena like social and cognitive learning as well as Pavlovian conditioning can be created.
The article sums up by taking readers through mental processes that brings about recovery among patients. Of greatest importance is the fact that when perception of patients is made positive towards their process of recovery, then there are some kinds of ailments that can be cured.
Carpenter, W.T. (2009). Placebo effect in depression. The American Journal of Psychiatry.
The article by Carpenter (2009) is an informative commentary that points out that placebo can have adverse effects on patients with depression. The author states that in severe cases of depression, real treatment buy use of anti-depressants should be administered to patients.
Even though placebo affected is effective in curing depression, the author is of the opinion that it should be used in less severe cases of depression and in primary care. The author is quite categorical that the placebos can produce the desired effect only when used in the most appropriate way towards a particular target.
Finniss, D.G., Kaptchuk, T.J., Miller, F., & Benedetti, F. (2010). Biological, clinical, and ethical advances of placebo effects. The Lancet.
This article by Finniss et al. (2010) advance the use of placebo and lauds its effect in clinical practice when treating patients and carrying out clinical trials. Finniss et al. draw examples from various studies that show how effective and genuine placebo is in therapeutic context and mention that in clinical and laboratory settings, placebos have robust effects.
In addition, the article expresses that in a good clinical setting, even without placebo, the effects of placebo can still be experienced. They conclude by pointing out that healthcare facilities should develop routines and practices like confidence and empathy that encourage patient recovery as these will act as placebos.