Hardback
November 14, 2023
9781421446387
English
328
94364
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$32.95 USD, £27.50 GBP
v2.1 Reference
Electronic book text
November 14, 2023
9781421446394
9781421446387
English
328
94364
9
9.00 Inches (US)
6.00 Inches (US)
$32.95 USD, £27.50 GBP
v2.1 Reference

The Power of Placebos

Unlocking Their Potential to Improve Health Care

The history, philosophy, ethics, and science behind the placebo and nocebo effects.

Placebos are the most widely used treatments in the history of medicine. Thousands of studies show that they can be effective and make us happier and healthier. Yet confusion about what placebos are and how to measure their effects prevents some doctors from using them to help patients. Meanwhile, damage caused by the nocebo effect—the negative effect of expecting something bad—is not widely recognized.

In The Power of Placebos, Jeremy Howick provides an interdisciplinary perspective on placebos and nocebos based on more than twenty years of research and data from over 300,000 patients. This book, the culmination of that research, offers practical ways for researchers, policymakers, and doctors to put placebo and nocebo research into practice to improve health outcomes.

In addition to providing an overview of placebos and nocebos and explaining how belief systems and context can create physiological effects in the body, Howick advocates for a number of controversial positions, including why it may be unethical to include placebos in most clinical trials in which there are already established therapies and why physicians should consider using placebos regularly in their practices. Howick also underscores the importance of the therapeutic effects of interactions between health care practitioners and patients, in the context of care. Marvel of the Mind dispels the confusion surrounding placebos and paves the way for doctors to help patients by enhancing placebo effects and avoiding the pitfalls of nocebos.

About the Author

Jeremy Howick (LEICESTERSHIRE, UK), PhD is the director of the Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare and a senior researcher at Oxford University. He is the author of Doctor You and The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine.

Endorsements

"Jeremy Howick is a rare thing in healthcare—a genuinely interdisciplinary thinker. In this book exploring the placebo and nocebo effects, he demonstrates why that breadth of knowledge is crucially important to advance discussion. "

- Charlotte Blease, Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

"Dr. Howick presents compelling evidence for harnessing the mind's healing potential as a clear, actionable, and proactive agent of change. This concise and insightful book challenges conventional views of medicine and offers a compelling argument for embracing the power of the mind in healing."

- Amy Price, Department of Anesthesia, Stanford School of Medicine

"Dr. Howick tackles the crucial issues surrounding the use of placebos and nocebos in clinical practice and trials. This book is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the nature and the potential of utilizing the placebo effect for healing. Highly recommended for those with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to push the boundaries of conventional medicine."

- Luana Colloca, MPower Distinguished Professor and Director, Placebo Beyond Opinions Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore

"This is a wonderful book. Using clear, honest sentences and paragraphs, Dr. Howick reviews the vast and fascinating literature on the effects of placebos, and shows how to engage that effectiveness in ordinary medical care."

- Daniel E. Moerman, University of Michigan-Dearborn

"This masterful synthesis of the scientific, philosophical, and historical literature on placebo effects is rigorous, yet accessible. Although I disagree on some points, Professor Howick makes a bold and compelling case that the scientific knowledge gleaned from placebo studies should radically transform healthcare to improve patients' lives."

- John M. Kelley, Endicott College, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School
Johns Hopkins University Press
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Hardback
November 14, 2023
$32.95 USD
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Electronic book text
November 14, 2023
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