Sham therapy

Sham Therapy

Sham therapy, also known as placebo therapy, is a type of therapy that is designed to mimic the procedures of an actual therapy but does not have any therapeutic value. It is often used in clinical trials to test the effectiveness of new treatments and therapies.

Overview

Sham therapy is a control treatment that is used in double-blind studies to ensure that the results of the study are not influenced by the placebo effect. The placebo effect is a psychological phenomenon where a patient's symptoms can improve simply because they believe they are receiving treatment. By using sham therapy, researchers can compare the effects of the actual treatment with the effects of a placebo.

Use in Clinical Trials

In clinical trials, sham therapy is often used in the control group. The control group is the group of participants who do not receive the treatment that is being tested. Instead, they receive a placebo or sham therapy. This allows researchers to compare the effects of the treatment with the effects of a placebo.

Sham therapy can be used in a variety of clinical trials, including those for pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, and surgical procedures. For example, in a clinical trial for a new surgical procedure, the control group may undergo a sham surgery where the surgeon makes an incision but does not perform the actual procedure.

Ethical Considerations

The use of sham therapy in clinical trials raises several ethical considerations. Some argue that it is unethical to perform a sham surgery or to give a patient a placebo without their knowledge. Others argue that sham therapy is necessary to ensure the validity of clinical trials and to prevent the placebo effect from skewing the results.

See Also

• Placebo Effect
• Clinical Trials
• Double-blind Study

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