Surgery, The Ultimate Placebo

Print version:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Introduction

1. The placebo effect

What is the placebo effect and how does it work?

2. The science of medicine

or lack of it

What makes 'good' evidence?

3. Building the perfect placebo

What makes a good placebo?

4. Putting surgery to the (placebo) test

Examples of studies using sham surgery

5. The surgical scrap heap

Operations that have faded away due to a lack of effectiveness

6. Today's placebo surgeries

Current surgical procedures under question

7. Why do we still do it? Reasons behind the persistence of surgery that is not effective

8. Surgery has a placebo effect

so what?

The case against using the placebo effect

9. What can we do about it?

As patients, doctors, researchers, funders and as a society

References

Acknowledgements