The placebo effect occurs if a person experiences a medical benefit from the belief that they have had a health treatment
Iryna Imago/Shutterstock
Drug side effects may not always be a bad thing, for painkillers at least. An inert nasal spray that was marketed as having painkilling properties was deemed more effective when it caused a mild burning sensation, suggesting that the placebo effect was at play.
A drug’s side effects could potentially be used to enhance its benefits, but they could also make medicines being tested in placebo-controlled randomised trials seem better…