Theplacebo effect is the fact that some patients' health improves after taking what they believe is an effective drug but which is in fact only a placebo.
The placebo effect can be understood only if we acknowledge the unity of mind andbody.
placebo effect in British English
noun
medicine
a positive therapeutic effect claimed by a patient after receiving a placebo believed by him or her to be an active drug
control group
placebo effect in American English
an improvement in a person's medical condition regarded as the effect of the person's belief in the effectiveness of the treatment used
Examples of 'placebo effect' in a sentence
placebo effect
The positive power of the placebo effect has long been known.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Those who support the treatments say that at the very least they have a placebo effect.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The placebo effect is directly related to trust.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The placebo effect certainly has considerable power to heal.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
That is the highest placebo effect of any drug.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is quite possible that they have a mild placebo effect, soothing the anxious.