Do heavy-handed nursery school inspections do more good than harm?
Seeking nursery school teachers like Barbara One of my earliest memories is of a wonderful nursery teacher called Barbara. I […]
Where do I get those placebos I saw on TV? 7 things people mean when they say ‘placebo’
I received a lot of questions from people who watched the BBC Horizon documentary about placebos and back pain. Some […]
A Dose Of Empathy Is All Some Patients Need
A review of 28 trials published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine last week quantifies what many […]
Unethical Standards for Placebo Trials?
Trials show that drugs called ‘interferon alpha’ extend life in people with advanced skin cancer (by a bit). If we […]
I ran my first marathon and saved the NHS £2000
I saved the money for the NHS because I live in the UK, but I would have saved the […]
Can You Teach Old Dogs New Tricks?
You can teach an old dog new tricks, and this old dog wants to learn – Thomas P. O’Neill In […]
What’s The Point In Being Positive?
Professor George Lewith* was a doctor who was famous for being kind and optimistic with his patients. In the early […]
Placebos work even when patients know what they are
Lying to patients is almost always unethical. But, in order for placebos to work, we have to believe they are […]
Truth about stop smoking drug ‘cytisine’ beats conspiracies
My brother in law chain smoked for 20 years. He tried to quit with cognitive behavior therapy, nicotine replacement therapy, […]
What’s the Truth About Placebo Effects?
Some say placebos are so powerful they cure almost anything, while others say they barely work. To sceptics, believing in […]