Why do many Doctors ignore Personal testimonials and Anecdotal Reports?
It is believed that roughly a third of people receiving any treatment will experience the placebo effect. Both patient and doctor may be influenced by personal biases when observing and reporting results of a treatment. Also some conditions are self-limiting and some conditions have periods of flare-ups and remissions. As a result, personal testimonials and anecdotal reports do not carry much weight. Double-Blind Studies are considered The Most Reliable. In a double-blind, placebo controlled study neither patients nor researchers know who is receiving the real treatment or the placebo (sham treatment). Roughly a third of patients receiving the placebo will experience the placebo effect (beneficial effect from receiving sham treatment). Only if real treatment provides significantly greater results than the placebo can there be any proof the treatment really works. Placebos can produce either positive or negative effects. When a person experiences undesirable side effects from a placebo,
