Category: Mind body medicine

In clinical trials for major depression, the placebo effect accounts for a larger portion of the total benefit than the active drug itself, according to one meta-analysis. This startling fact highlights the powerful psychological and physiological phenomenon that explains exactly what does the placebo pill do and why it is so important for modern medicine.

According to one review, placebo treatments have produced improvement in symptoms for approximately 35% of patients in certain studies. But **what is a placebo** exactly? A placebo is an inactive substance or procedure that is designed to resemble an actual treatment but has no inherent therapeutic effect on its own.