Dear Isaac, its quite likely that I do not understand Placebo, in
statistical, or phenomological terms. Webster's simple definitions are
A. a substance containing no medication and given merely to humor a
patient.B. An inactive substance used as a control in an experiment. Now
if I were to apply these concepts to PT most if not ALL modalities fall
under such category, as does almost all of manual therapy- unless you
think that there's high reliability in our work!. Now what about the
care giver? Which PT would a patient/client like: a smiling and
under-educated PT, or a boorish, not well dressed, but highly efficient
mechanic/tactician? what about the environment in which the interaction
takes place. How often does the presence of the "machines" influence
patient's comfort, outcome?(e.g. Aqua therapy )
Are you willing to test every factor in an interaction? Can you test the
limbic system of your patients, and the neurotransmitters levels (can be
done with PET scans). I have nothing against, & I probably use, the
placebo factor in therapy. But if I cannot ascend beyond the placebo, I
may as well be a SHAMAN- they do quite well in Nigeria-but cannot
restore amputated limbs). Regards, Joe
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