Would you all consider it inappropriate to knowingly give your child a placebo in most circumstances? [link]
Ms. Buettner envisioned a children’s placebo tablet that would empower parents to do something tangible for minor ills and reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics and other medicines.
With the help of her husband, Dennis, she founded a placebo company, and, without a hint of irony, named it Efficacy Brands. Its chewable, cherry-flavored dextrose tablets, Obecalp, for placebo spelled backward, goes on sale on June 1 at the Efficacy Brands Web site. Bottles of 50 tablets will sell for $5.95. The Buettners have plans for a liquid version, too.
“This is designed to have the texture and taste of actual medicine so it will trick kids into thinking that they’re taking something,” Ms. Buettner said. “Then their brain takes over, and they say, ‘Oh, I feel better.’ ”
“The idea that we can use a placebo as a general treatment method,” Dr. Brody said, “strikes me as inappropriate.”
Ms. Buettner does not spell out the conditions that her pills could treat. As a parent, she said, “you’ll know when Obecalp is necessary.”
awwwww. One of the guys at work just sent me this enormous file. He was at the Hollywood Bowl last night and saw Sting and Elvis Costello. They did a duet of Alison and he took a video and sent it to me.
AWESOME
The water shoes are nifty!
Did I mention that we stopped at the Zappo's Outlet yesterday? It confused me.
Allyson - that is totally awesome!
I fixed the link for yours, Jesse.
Yeah, no.
I would totally take a placebo for myself!
yeah, I wouldn't give the placebo. I am trying to teach mac that sometimes things just hurt. Closest I get is offering ice up for almost everything. My guess, that woman will make a mint though.
how is giving a sugar pill actually different than some of the homeopathic remedies (like teething tablets)?
dunno, maybe not different at all.
This week's Secret Lives of Women is about stalking--both stalking and being stalked. Seriously chilling stuff.
Random stats: 1 million women in the US are stalked a year. 1 in 4 female stalkers stalk someone they've been intimate with. 1 in three celebrity stalkers are female.
I think I'd give a kid a placebo. Under specific and limited circumstances. I totally recommend giving me a cplacebo, as long as they are only used when they work.
I am having such a huge craving for lemonade. Sadly I have lemonade, so it comes down to self-control.
yeah, I wouldn't give the placebo. I am tryin got teach mac that sometimes things just hurt.
Yes! That's the thing that bugs me most about it. Pain has a purpose! And learning to rely on drugs to fix everything can't be good. There was a commentary on NPR yesterday by a family physician about the placebo thing. He was very anti.
