placebos

A placebo is a substance or treatment with no active medical ingredients, used in clinical trials to test the effectiveness of new therapies. When people believe they are receiving real treatment, their hope or expectation can trigger real psychological or physical improvements—a phenomenon known as the placebo effect. This underscores the power of the mind in health, showing that belief and perception can influence outcomes. Placebos help researchers distinguish between actual treatment effects and those driven by patients' perceptions or expectations.