Not like MMS, but more like homeopathy. Something along the lines of
“This kind of tumor might be cancerous, or it might not be. There’s no way to tell right now. We could treat it aggressively, but that has a n% chance of major side effects without doing much good. We would like to test the effectiveness of natural herbal treatments [or other buzzwords] on early-stage tumors like this one. Drink this type of tea up to four times a day [or take this pill], record when and how often you drink it, and come back for regular screening.”
And afterwards “Honestly, there is no way of knowing if that was a benign mass or if the experimental treatment made a difference. We will take your information and use them to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between people based on their use. Based on preliminary information, there is no reason to believe that this treatment is effective, but there is still more data to be gathered.” OR “Well, the experimental treatment has failed, but because of the close monitoring we can still begin the conventional treatment in the early stages of development, where they are most effective.”
I’m not sure if prescribing placebo when placebo is indicated is a dark art or not...
Homeopathy is probably a more effective placebo than both mineal supplements and astrology.
Homeopathy has the feature that you have an authorative human being who really listens to the patient when he describes his various symptoms. Than the authorative human being decides on a particular sugar pill that the patient usually has to take multiple times per day.
If you want a placebo with minimal sideeffects homeopathy is a good pick.
But why minimal side effects? You should look to maximize positive sideeffects. Send the person to a well trained psychologist who encourages good lifestyle changes.
Quit smoking. Exercise more. Eat more greens.
So, what we really need is a great placebo treatment with minimal side effects?
Something like Miracle Mineral Supplements? Homeopathy? Or something astrology-based?
Not like MMS, but more like homeopathy. Something along the lines of
“This kind of tumor might be cancerous, or it might not be. There’s no way to tell right now. We could treat it aggressively, but that has a n% chance of major side effects without doing much good. We would like to test the effectiveness of natural herbal treatments [or other buzzwords] on early-stage tumors like this one. Drink this type of tea up to four times a day [or take this pill], record when and how often you drink it, and come back for regular screening.”
And afterwards “Honestly, there is no way of knowing if that was a benign mass or if the experimental treatment made a difference. We will take your information and use them to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between people based on their use. Based on preliminary information, there is no reason to believe that this treatment is effective, but there is still more data to be gathered.” OR “Well, the experimental treatment has failed, but because of the close monitoring we can still begin the conventional treatment in the early stages of development, where they are most effective.”
I’m not sure if prescribing placebo when placebo is indicated is a dark art or not...
Homeopathy is probably a more effective placebo than both mineal supplements and astrology. Homeopathy has the feature that you have an authorative human being who really listens to the patient when he describes his various symptoms. Than the authorative human being decides on a particular sugar pill that the patient usually has to take multiple times per day.
If you want a placebo with minimal sideeffects homeopathy is a good pick.
But why minimal side effects? You should look to maximize positive sideeffects. Send the person to a well trained psychologist who encourages good lifestyle changes. Quit smoking. Exercise more. Eat more greens.
Blurgh! :-)
Yes, when the doctor knows for sure that a more radical treatment is counter-indicated. Which is the crux of the problem.