The Shocking Truth About Surgical Placebos

[@Tribble_Mama]

When this video came out, this seemingly didn't apply to me. Since then I got diagnosed with arthritis in my knees and now possibly have a torn meniscus. I remembered this video and the following News video while talking to my sister-in-law about surgery for arthritic knees (but didn't remember the bit about meniscus tears). It was good to come back and review. Thanks for helping us be informed consumers of our healthcare

[@SyntekkTeam]

I like your outros. The last sentence always sums up the main idea of the video really well.

[@LZKS]

Most people are probably thinking, "well, I don't have those conditions, so this does not concern me". But fact of the matter is that WE are share-paying for these people's no-benefit surgeries through insurance. This is one of the many reasons why healthcare spending is so high in US. And we should be more vocal about this issue, raising awareness.

[@theslime6021]

Uhh. We don't have to pay taxes for healthcare so I don't know what you're talking about. Obamacare, yes, but no one uses that.

[@SirThinkALot42]

TheSlime Medicare and Medicaid are funded through tax dollars

[@checkyourfacts6457]

TheSlime You can not be this ignorant. Every cent spent is paid by insurance premiums or taxes. Cents not spent do not need to be paid into the system.

[@ThePharphis]

TheSlime "but no one uses that" ha

[@cleodello]

Or, you know, you have a life to live and the likelihood of you needing surgery at some point in your life is large enough that you should be concerned. Or, even better, that just because you currently don't need surgery.. doesn't mean that you should ignore the people who do. Empathy is a thing.

[@KahnShawnery]

What I find amusing is the discussion that this is even unethical. If the goal of treatment is to cure, then placebo surgery seems like a valid practice. The issue really is with those who argue against this. Should we not heal people even if the cure is administered through deception?

[@Crimsonak]

You're making a somewhat diluted argument. The ends does not always justify the means. So yes, the goal is to "cure" but the ethics surrounding that does not justify any which method you could ever employ to reach that goal. For me, if you promote ignorance of truth while simultaneously advocating directly invasive procedures then that does not justify a "cure." (For the record, "cure" is also a red herring in your argument. The placebo effect does not cure patients, it simply makes them more likely to feel better about their issue. It quite literally does nothing beyond how you consider the ailment.)

[@MaximumCrash]

Every surgical procedure carries risks of bleeding, infection or other damage being done. Anaesthesia can also be very harmful and should not be taken lightly.

[@ktomatchu]

Imagine the following situation 1. Your surgeon offers you surgery for your back, and you agree to it after getting all the info you need 2. Your surgeon opens you up but doesn't do anything. 3. You wake up, and six months later, your back is worse than before. 4. You later find out that you received a sham surgery Now, tell me. What's ethical about this situation?

[@KahnShawnery]

As someone who has had back surgery due to a tumor, I think you paint too broad a swath with your example. Is the backache in your example real or imaginary? If it's imaginary and causes the patient to further harm themselves due to compensating for a perceived pain and the fake surgery may decrease that chance, is it ethical to deny them placebo surgery? I think the ethics discussion can only be applied on a case by case basis. At least in my experience, with multiple surgeries, the doctors present a wide array of choices and always tries to dissuade resorting to surgery except as a last resort. The final decision is always with the patient. If the patient chooses to accept the risks, how is it unethical to offer a potential cure? Most cures come with some risk, all surgeries come with risk, the patient is made aware of those risks. In your example above, the patient opps for the surgery armed with knowledge of the risks. I still do not see this as unethical.

[@ragnkja]

Mathew Chui It is no worse, but rather better, that finding out that the surgeon actually did something, which turned out to work no better than a sham surgery, since real surgeries generally come with greater risks than sham ones.

[@whyyes10]

This is really good information. I am very thankful that I have a good surgeon who said the chances of me feeling any relief from osteoarthritis surgery on my ankle was very small. He told me that it was not worth the money, and that most of the relief would be because of the placebo effect. He said I had a 50% chance of feeling any different, and a 15-25% chance that I would feel better, but only after I recovered from surgery. Keep up the good videos!

[@pmyou2]

Q1: Is there any list of procedures that are recognized as no better than placebo? Q2: Is there any statistic that identifies that surgeons performing such procedures are actually aware that the procedure they performed is placebo-equivalent? Q3: Can medical insurance providers require an extra level of validation for these placebo-equivalent procedures? (I realize that there are times when a placebo is useful medicine, so these procedures may not be 'outlawed', but that some level of certification that the surgeon is aware the the results are demonstrated as placebo-equivalent should be implemented.)

[@TheDajamster]

Yeah, I was hoping for info along those lines when I hit the, "For those of you who want to read more" link, but it was just the intro for this video. *Disappointed!*

[@moonireads]

I love these videos and always feel so good after watching them. A lo of times your videos have sparked super interesting conversations between my friends and I.

[@matthewcoghlan2299]

could it be that the recovery procedures after surgery (i.e. using crutches to stay off the joint, strength training of the joint, etc.) is the real reason patients see an improvement?

[@Srewtheshadow]

This is TOTALLY needs attention, though we may just have to read the reviews ourselves to see, though it's likely they still had much of this done (if it was relevant, anyway). It still means that the surgery is useless, of course, but it also means that more emphasis should be put on these activities if it turns out they're the reason patients recover.

[@CyborgOnLife]

I agree, but not just that. In these "sham surgeries," they still open you up and move stuff around to simulate the actual thing. It's possible that just the act of a surgical procedure causing blood and other fluid movement causes a great deal of improvement. I don't think placebo is a fair term because it does actually shift the body's immediate and typical physiological responses, whereas a sugar pill typically does not.

[@sportsinjuries6593]

Using crutches before surgery will not stop pain ,,, surgery will not stop pain ,,, pain is only created by injured tissye in 3 4 weeks after that pain becomes learned ,,, surgery acts as procedure to stop that learning ,,, chronic pain is mostly fake pain ,,,

[@BenjaminAlexander]

"No apparent gain"? But in your last video you talked about the benefit of placebo! Can't you moderate your condemnation with a little bit of harm-benefit analysis? Maybe some surgeries aren't better than placebo, and carry some detectable risks. But if the benefit of placebo is better than the risks (on a case-by-case basis) perhaps it is still worthwhile to perform the procedures? I don't know...I'm only asking you (Healthcare Triage) to address that question.

[@RATsnak3]

Okay then give me $100,000 to perform a surgery on you that does no actual good. If the surgery is only placebo, there’s plenty of other things on the market that are MUCH cheaper than a surgery that give the placebo effect. They’re called “homeopathic remedies.” Also, considering that other surgical options to complete similar goals exist in many cases. If you can eliminate the ones that don’t work, you should. Otherwise you’re wasting time and money.

[@joshholton1422]

This whole placebo effect deal is pretty awesome to me. The main thing that people argue is that its unethical, but how can you complain if you benefit the same as someone who actually received the treatment. The reason why I find this so interesting is because I believe that a lot of things are driven mentally by people. For example, taking pills to cure your headache. Yes, pills probably aid whatever you have going on when taking them but that doesn't mean you need them! I've figured out that you don't take any pills for headaches, over time it will go away. Isn't that crazy?! Headaches are a very small issue compared to some of the surgeries in the video, but you get the point. I just believe that one's mental MAY have a lot to when it comes to getting better in health.

[@kayleeroebuck3282]

The placebo effect is a topic that we have covered in my healthcare ethics course. I think the placebo effect is an effective research method, but I have never heard of it in regards of surgery. I can seen why this would cause somewhat of an uproar in the common public, for people must undergo a painful incision and medical bills to find out they never had the real procedure done. On the other hand, the results are astonishing. Those who had the placebo surgery progressed the same as those who had the actual surgery, post operation. I think the placebo effect can end up saving the medical world a lot of money. If we can prove that many small procedures are no longer effective, it can save the patient and medical companies a lot of money. I think this may shy many people away from having surgery altogether, and promote the use of conservative treatments. On the other hand I do feel rather sorry for those who have to undergo these placebo surgeries.

[@lexiej7487]

The idea of the placebo effect is extremely interesting to me. We are psychologically inclined to believe that most medical procedures are done with our best interests in mind. In my healthcare ethics class, we learned about research risk. I noticed a lot of comments saying that it is unethical to do this because the patient doesn’t know about it. However, the majority of medical research is done under the assumption of informed consent. Based on the criteria that must be met for a research study to be valid, I have no reason to believe that this is unethical. I strongly believe that we should be using more placebo surgeries to help us further our knowledge about the human body and how it operates. Surgeries such as this will maximize utility for more people, and although some may not see that as a good thing because the individual has risks, there are far more benefits. From a utilitarian standpoint, doctors are working to make sure that there is greater amount of good for a greater amount of people. The research done just shows that there are certain treatments and surgical implements that should be unnecessary. These procedures get costly, and if we used placebos to rule them out, I feel like we might be able to get closer to more affordable healthcare.

[@tiasova49]

I wholeheartedly believe in the placebo effect. I however am split with it being used in surgery. Yes it shows that some surgeries are not needed and have no effect on the patient but it also puts patients in unnecessary harm. The surgeons are knowingly harming their patients by performing a sham surgery. Surgery runs risks of many complications especially with anesthesia. I realize that they would also be at risk is a real surgery was performed. This could affect them psychologically and affect the patient/doctor relationship. Placebos are okay to be used in certain treatment trials but I don't believe they should be used when finding treatments for deadly diseases.

[@chillsahoy2640]

The shocking truth about clickbaity titles: they make people less likely to appreciate the value of the video. I've read Hank's Tumblr post and I understand why you do it, but I can still only see it as a cheap and manipulative tactic which makes me assume that the content is not particularly entertaining if it requires a "catchy title" to grab my attention in the first place. And I know that's not true, because the video was very interesting! But a clickbait title just screams "I'm not confident in this video's actual content being interesting, so here's one weird trick to make you click on it". I don't think anything scientific should be called 'truth' either, much less 'shocking truth'. Truth is a concept philosophers and theologians use, but in science we can't claim to have the 'truth', only to have conclusions which are supported by evidence and can be treated as correct, at least until/if any evidence appears that would no longer support the conclusion. Back on topic, as placebos become more well-known by the general population, I wonder if their effectiveness will change. Is there a difference in the effect of a placebo between people who know they're taking a placebo (and also know that it should work, if they believe it does) and people who think they're taking an actual medicine? Or perhaps, is there a response pathway associated with the placebo effect which can be triggered by giving the body an appropriate stimulant and a sugar pill, which would be less harmful than the actual treatment and still have the same effect?

[@jibbyjackjoe]

Sorry, but we're going to revisit your pointless off-topic comment. I'm very curious: what would you have named the title of this video? I honestly see this comment more and more. Its like people such as yourself just want to proclaim a warning to the masses that this video is something evil because the title used wording that you may or may not agree with. Look, fella' of the internet. I don't need you personally championing on my behalf, saving me from "click-bait". I don't need you constantly calling videos "click-bait". I doubt a lot of people really do. This sort of ad hominem is absolutely obnoxious.

[@drakelon91]

A clickbaity title goes to get people to click on it. It's not a show of confidence of how good the content is. People click the title, stay for the content. Without it, there will be people who aren't going to click it. Why? Because they don't know the quality of the content before clicking it. It's very simple I really don't get why you don't get it...

[@chillsahoy2640]

I'm not really sure what to put I do get it, I just don't think it's a very honest way of putting your content out there. "Shocking"? I would describe this video's content as interesting and engaging, but not shocking. "Truth"? That word is taboo in science. We don't find 'truths', we find evidence. The only people who can make claims about truth are philosophers and theologians, and that's because they generally ignore evidence. I fully understand that it brings more views, but it seems like a slightly dishonest way to do so. It may also deter people from clicking the video: those who are sick and tired of being treated as numbers will avoid clickbait titles like the plague, knowing the sort of content that they tend to lead to. So while it brings in more views, it will tend to attract views from people who are just responding to the flashy title, and deter views from people who want intelligent content. Of course, as a subscriber, I know that Healthcare Triage has good quality content, but if I didn't know about them and saw these titles for the first time, I'd try to stay away from them as much as I try to stay away from Buzzfeed and similar "14 HEALTHY FOODS THAT ARE BAD FOR YOU" style videos.

[@MrStephenfull]

I always thought angina rhymed with vagina. Have I been saying it wrong this whole time??? I worked for the state public health department doing research studies...did I make a fool of myself for 3 years?!?

[@frollard]

potato potahto...Both are acceptable; Here in Canada we use the Regina/Vagina pronunciation medically (EMS dispatch)

[@vlogerhood]

It does rhyme with vagina, he was saying it wrong. He isn't a secret Canadian.

[@Correctrix]

You are saying it right. This dude is euphemistically mispronouncing it as "anjna", much the same way as Americans have started mispronouncing "Uranus" on the first syllable because they are scared of sounding like "your anus", and saying and writing "tidbit" for "titbit" for much the same reason. I find that the obvious attempt to avoid the taboo word just calls more attention to it. It's like when a certain sort of person says "Did you see Kate's new *black* boyfriend come in here the other day?", dropping into a theatrical whisper on the word "black".

[@CottonDrifting]

frollard No one has ever said potahto..

[@MrStephenfull]

Well at least I wasn't making a fool of myself. Leave that to the state.

[@diceman199]

This ties in to other info we have on placebo in that the more "dramatic" the placebo intervention is the more effective it seems to become. eg a saline solution injection is more effective than a sugar pill. Ben Goldacre has a couple of videos regarding this on youtube....worth a watch if you're interested in the subject.

[@stephaniecarter3351]

After watching this video I can honestly say that I am shocked. The fact that actual procedures did no better than sham procedures is quite ridiculous. I was supposed to get knee surgery in high school but opted for physical therapy instead. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about all of the money my parents would have had to pay just for me to think its better when in reality it wouldn't be. While placebos used in researching drugs pose very little risk, sham procedures have the potential to be dangerous and it makes me wonder how these sham procedures could be ethical.

[@ashb3752]

Does knowing that a procedure is no better than placebo reduce the effectiveness of both?

[@sirfivesalot]

I love your videos I take large issue with part of your presentation. Concerning arthroscopy for knee arthritis: completely agree concerning arthroscopy for meniscal tears: you have misrepresented the reality. The better question would be "meniscal tear without presence of arthritis," as those patients generally do very well. However, many unethical physicians do arthroscopy on people with arthritis justifying it due to meniscal tears which are nearly ubiquitous in the presence of arthritis. Age of the patient should be considered as well.

[@kostiak]

Please avoid click-baity titles like "Shocking Truth", you are above that.

[@FPSchazly]

I would agree but those articles you're talking about usually reveal nothing new. this one does. i see what you're saying though.

[@shpider916]

I agree 100% I will unsubscribe from channels that regularly use such tactics.

[@MaximumCrash]

I wonder whether click-bait titles are superior to placebo titles in garnering attention...

[@ThisMattPitts]

Usually I would agree with you, but I actually found the content in this video shocking! Plus we all know this will make the video much more discoverable.

[@ThePharphis]

I actually did find this shocking and useful to know

[@mcreynoldsamy]

If the placebo works, don't we still need to do something up to and including sham procedures? Isn't that what we concluded in the video on how placebos for things like a cold using soup, tea, etc. were better than doing nothing? So we need to be doing something when the placebo works, right?

[@ronaldvl636]

+Amy McReynolds If you mean 'we need to be doing something in order to put the placebo to work', you're right. When one realizes there's also the 'nocebo effect' and the fact that this duo (the placebo and nocebo effect) are at work all the time, we should start to put more faith in our body's self-healing (and self-injuring) abilities...

[@GregTom2]

Alright, well the question now is "what is the most cost efficient placebo". Are incisions really necessary? Is it necessairy to have fully trained doctors spend 30% of their career adminsitering a placebo? Did anyone try the effect of... idk, prayer. Prayer isn't very expensive.

[@divicool72]

well people who pray regularly DO have better health outcomes than people who dont! like often stress metrics and stuff, but i think the effects can be pretty profound? not sure though! its pretty interesting in any case

[@divicool72]

Divi though i'd also argue praying is not a placebo, it's an action

[@GregTom2]

Divi Actions can be placebos. Actually most of the placebo effect comes from actions: patients following a more strict and healthy lifesyle because they meet their therapists on a regular basis, etc.

[@stevewalker1790]

I'm sure it works as well as a sugar pill or acupuncture (for those who really believe in it), but pills are a better sell for the general populous. Plus, you might lose confidence in a doctor who recommends the healing power of prayer. Placebos are all about trusting the person administering them.

[@howarthe1]

Placebos and prayer both rely on faith. The sugar pill, the sham surgery, or the prayer will only work if you believe it will work. It won't ALWAYS work, even if you believe in it, but if you don't believe in it, it can't work. Antibiotics, on the other hand, require no faith. They work even if you don't believe in them. They don't ALWAYS work, but...

[@bmaw604]

Big fan of the quick start to this video.

[@GuardsmanBass]

Good video! You mentioned at the end of your early Antibiotics video that you might come back later to discuss issues with antibiotics-resistance. Have you thought about coming back to that in the future? It'd be good to have a video on it.

[@BigBangMike]

I wonder what the effect on the placebo surgery is if the patient whom experienced positive results was later told that no surgery was done. Would what ever aliment continue to be relieved if the patient has gone quite some time experiencing the placebo? Of would the pain or problem come rushing back once they learn the emperor has no clothes?

[@MathAndComputers]

Do they have a good way of taking into account the biological/physiological (as opposed to psychological) responses to the placebo surgeries, for example, possible increased immune response over background? Also, it'd be good to have a "rest" control, where the group, although they'd be aware of it, simply rests the amount that someone who'd have undergone surgery would, or engages in other behaviours as one who'd undergone surgery would, to try to take into account those factors. Factors other than purely psychological factors may still contribute significantly, even if the procedure in question is bunk.

[@tsukikage]

Is there a such thing as a negative placebo effect? As in, where a procedure/pill is less likely to work if the patient believes it is a placebo, regardless of whether it is or not?

[@msfancywater]

Our course instructor recommended your videos. Could you kindly enable captions for this video? They make it easier to follow along for folks with impaired hearing. Thanks!

[@squanchy474]

This is scary stuff. It's interesting, I can see how the rehab from surgery for many conditions could help a ton in and of it's self because in most cases it causes the patient to rest.

[@sydneyvanpetten6412]

I believe that the placebo effect is an effective research method that we should continue to use in studies today. However, I agree that it can seem unethical. If I was a patient who received the placebo effect, I can understand why they may be upset when the knowledge of their procedure is revealed to them. However, this anger should cease to exist when they realize that they are no worse off for it than the patients who did receive the treatment. Instead of completely lying to these patients though, I think it would be a good idea to have the patients sign a waiver saying that they agree to participate in the studying and know full well that they may be the one to receive the placebo treatment and then, at random, the placebo patients should be chosen. Additionally, I think that if the patients who received a real treatment show that it was more effective than the placebo, those who were given the placebo treatment should also then be given the real one. I think that this method of study will be able to save our medical field a lot of money, too. When studies show that the half of the patients who received the treatment did no better than those without it, we can eliminate that surgery or treatment as a course of action. I think once this is done, we should not be allowed to give this treatment any more. I think it’s silly that, though some treatments are proved ineffective, we still provide them to patients willing to undergo them.

[@Thorsummoner0]

perhaps there is something about the pre and post surgery care that influences recovery?

[@KnightRaymund]

These things should be tested. But the patients should knowingly sign up for a study. As you say, there are risks involved with these, unlike the sugar pills. I do find it unethical to perform a sham surgery without consent.

[@mightyriver97]

I don't really see what the problem is. If these surgical placebos help more than placebos with medication, what's the problem with keeping around surgeries that are essentially just placebos? How are they dangerous? This whole issue seems like a good thing, rather than a reason to freak out.

[@jibbyjackjoe]

Apparently ad hominem is the topic of KZbin's comment section. Every other word is "click-bait" this and "click-bait" that. Seriously people. Stop.

[@Medhead101]

These videos are super interesting! Aaron could you do a video on contraception and the research involving each types and how effective they are? Seems like an interesting topic to discuss! :)

[@LordMarcus]

It's good that we can know that a surgical procedure is no better than placebo, but the tone of this episode confuses me -- are you saying it's bad for people to have such surgical procedures, even when outcomes are improved? Or just that it's bad for so much money to be involved?

[@nonchalantd]

I would not have a problem receiving a placebo surgery if there were no better options. But they should be a lot cheaper than surgeries that yield results better than placebo because there is less time, labor, and supplies involved. Maybe people report feeling better after surgeries because they become more optimistic. They might psychologically back themselves into a corner because they feel that surgery is the strongest option they have, so if that doesn't work, then nothing will. The optimism might increase their tolerance for pain.

[@annapiland8279]

This is such a loaded video... yet all I can focus on is that I have never heard that pronunciation of Angina before. lol

[@biranfalk-dotan2448]

If a treatment performed no better than placebo, that doesn't mean it had no benefit. It DID have benefit, because it was still better than no procedure at all. It's just that the benefit resulted from psychology - but it was still a REAL benefit!

[@peter_smyth]

The same benefit would be cheaper and have less risk if it were caused by placebo, so perhaps all arthroscopic surgery should be replaced with placebo.

[@Liuhuayue]

Placebo only works if the patient thinks that it will actually help them, so replacing all surgeries with a sham surgery would either require deception towards all patients or would possibly render placebos ineffective if everyone knew about it. Moreover, the placebo hasn't been proven to work as well as "all arthroscopic surgery" as you propose, only a specific kind as described in the video.

[@SidneyJupiter]

Imagine a pharmaceutical/health care company focused entirely on placebos, which produced placebos so good that they even beat the placebo test by a long shot

[@ThymeCypher]

What about a placebo "experimental but proven no incision laser surgery"? Could incisions still possibly promote healing?

[@BlakeAndGaile]

The topic of placebo in medicine is so freakin interesting. Also, very misunderstood. AND SO HARD TO STUDY!

[@davekuss]

Does having a surgery be 58% effective, placebo effect or not, make it worth doing the procedure? You may have covered this "No: to treat/No: to harm" videos but at what level, either from doing nothing or versus placebo, would a procedure be considered effective?

[@falconseye97]

This is awesome. It sucks that this isn't more mainstream but it is awesome nonetheless!

[@MrSwordsofvaul]

You mentioned Placebo Acupuncture, i'd be very interested for you to do an episode on acupuncture's effectiveness. Does sticking needles in people really fix problems or is it mostly/completely placebo?

[@bobbyhalick]

All this stuff about placebo and previously the videos on medications makes me believe that no healthcare is actually objectively beneficial ever lol

[@anders3299]

I hate any form of media which starts with "The Shocking truth..." or "You will not believe..." Please don't become this, Healthcare Triage. I really do like you guys, but please

[@TheRepublicOfUngeria]

If someone, like me, is aware of the placebo effect, and doesn't heavily believe in any alternative medicines, I.E. prayer, homeopathy, crystals, etc. then is there a way to invoke an equivalent of the placebo effect without having to go through the trouble of some procedure? Is it all just basically positive thinking?

[@stevewalker1790]

Do sham surgeries still work as a placebo if you know they're a sham? I'm interested because arthritis seems to be common in my family, and I worry.

[@LucaMasters]

Do entities like the NIH bother taking these studies into account? Seems like they (as well as insurance companies) would benefit financially from funding these studies and making coverage decisions based on the results. You want us to cover this expensive surgery? Well, studies show it's useless, so we won't. I know that BCBS, for one, loves denying care. Why not do so in cases where the care is useless?

[@mathieulemoine1294]

Seeing all the different types of placebo effects, I wonder if hypnotherapy has been compared. I mean, it should at least be comparable to others placebo effects since they're enabled through psychological mecanism and it seems to be much safer in some cases, like sugery placebo. Has there any study for this? If you can convince someone they've had a surgery, surely the placebo effect should kick in... As long hypnosis is not complete BS and show-business setup, it should have an slight effect along the placebo line shouldn't it?

[@DeckKnight]

This is a fascinating video. I do have a question though as it relates to surgery and placebo - these particular procedures are either injecting or taking out fluids or solid tissue. While I understand "proof" in these case is a statistical analysis within a certain percentage threshold, it is difficult for me to fathom how' these physical actions do not have some impact - positive, negative, or otherwise. Does it have to do with our body having a tendency to revert back to what it thinks is "normal" for us and therefore views these procedures as a temporary anomaly it sets out to fix? That seems like a good subject for another video, but please correct me if I'm off base here.

[@Floccini]

A funny thing is that more people attack the drug companies than surgery but the evidence is that drugs work better than surgery. and most other non drug treatments.

[@tomasfernandez9045]

I was wondering, are you doing us a favor by educating us about the placebo effect or could be have been better off not knowing about all this things. I feel like now that i know about the placebo effect i will be less likeley to be cure by medicine.

[@scott98390]

Hey Healthcare Triage - I tried to click on the "Previous Video" link at the end of this video and there isn't one (I have annotations on).

[@elliottmcollins]

Is it possible that there's a therapeutic effect of stitches?

[@PWBERRETT]

Sugar pill carries no risk? What if the patient is an undiagnosed diabetic?

[@Bubbles-lp2cv]

After watching the video, I am surprised how the placebo effect shows that some procedures people undergo are truly unnecessary.

[@Bubbles-lp2cv]

+Bubbles 007 People are partaking in some procedures that do not have any physical benefit. Instead, there is a psychological influence as many believe the certain procedure is benefiting them. I am glad people are taking the time to find out the benefits of certain procedures while demonstrating the placebo effect. Although some patients are “fooled” in the process, the information does give insight into what is really necessary. Instead of a doctor conducting an unnecessary procedure, I would rather see them find time for other procedures to demonstrate that can have a physical impact on the patient. Remember, a lot of money goes into these procedures. Patients are paying for medical processes that only provide a positive psychological impact. Therefore, the placebo effect can be used to reduce the costs on existing procedures that do not provide any physical benefits. We need to use the effectiveness of the placebo effect in order to save patients from the harms of unnecessary procedures.

[@iggyangel]

Can you make a video discussing gastric bypass and other weight loss surgery?

[@eva01iastate]

Have there been any placebo trials for things like chiropractor and acupuncture and such?

[@honu-aumakua]

Can you talk about patients that improve w/ placebos even when their doctor informs them it is a placebo. I read about this recently and I thought it was very interesting.

[@walterdennisclark]

Chiropractic medicine. If that's 90% sham, what percent is arthroscopy?

[@johanneskronenberg6679]

great piece

[@Rettequetette]

@5:00"placebo acupuncture"? Are there other forms of acupuncture?

[@zachgoldstein9063]

What's wrong with a placebo? If it has the desired effect, who cares if it was the mind that produced the physiological change instead of the surgery itself?

[@oafkad]

So I have a torn meniscus. It burns when I put too much weight on it and it audibly grinds when I bend my leg. You figure I can just have a doctor fake surgery on it and make it all better? That would be great. Healthcare Triage

[@alyssawilke4961]

If you are doing a sham surgery, that is a waste of money and time for doctors and other people. A sham surgery is kind of a dumb thing and does not really make sense at all. Why do a sham surgery? Whats the point? It just does not make sense at all and why do it then. What if someone can tell that they have not had a surgery actually done because they are not as sore as they should be or it heals quicker then it should if the surgery was real. The doctor and nurses basically have to lie to the patient about everything, that is wrong and does not make the patient feel comfortable if they find out that it was fake.

[@casperTheBird]

If placebo works and in some cases, works so well...why not use it? Obviously consider the risks, but if the probable outcome is worth it, then do it. I feel like people don't like placebo for the fact it "doesn't do anything," but it works, so who cares.

[@doublej82]

Do placebo surgeries work as well if the patients know they're placebos? And if so, by educating the general public about how some of these surgeries are no better than placebos, are you potentially reducing the effectiveness of those surgeries?

[@SCAREDBANANA]

I had the knee surgery and felt no difference.

[@terralynn9]

I almost didn't click on this episode because my knee-jerk reaction to the title was "Ad". :p Depending on what was wrong with me, I think I'd be okay with placebo surgery if it helped, even a little. Although I'd prefer to try less invasive and less expensive placebos first.

[@losveratos]

This is quite surprising to me.

[@RATsnak3]

There’s nothing wrong with this. There isn’t even anything immoral about it.

[@checkyourfacts6457]

So, the next logical step would then be to replace the placebo medicine and surgery with nothing, Is there any research on that? How to improve health by generally not believing you are ill, when you actually are well?

[@ThePharphis]

sounds too much like what quack doctors would suggest

[@checkyourfacts6457]

Believing you are well when you are well is actually healthy, and takes the doctor/healer/quack out of the equation.

[@ThePharphis]

checkyourfacts How many people are getting surgery, etc. when they are actually well? I understand some people have a tendency to think they're always sick and similar things but I don't understand your premise at all. If people are well, and a doctor is able to determine that they are well, then the doctor isn't going to recommend anything and tell them that they're fine. Sounds like you're advocating for common sense

[@checkyourfacts6457]

I am. A great replacement for placebo.

[@ThePharphis]

checkyourfacts but this is already the standard. When a doctor has no reason to believe something is wrong with a patient, the doctor will tell the patient so. You're advocating for something which is already the standard of practice

[@IoEstasCedonta]

180 is a bit small, isn't it?

[@PoseidonXIII]

Where did all the gum balls go?!?

[@TheDajamster]

For Cryin Out Loud Man! Don't tell us this exists without giving us info about what procedures have been tested in this manner!! Where do we find the list of procedures that are recognized as no better than placebo?

[@TDandC]

So faith surgery works!!!!!! We should use that because their is no incision and nor harm to the patient. Except the fact they could wind up ignoring an actual problem because they "feel" better.

[@MaoRuiqi]

Wow. So much misery undergone and money spent for so little benefit. Alternatively,. maybe the placebo is a form of medicine that needs to be expanded as it is far cheaper and sometimes just as effective.

[@yunica]

Wish I could placebo my male pattern baldness.

[@PissedOffGhost]

Would there be a way to fool a patient into thinking he had surgery without anesthetic or an incision?

[@SangoProductions213]

Tell them they were touched by God?...well, that'd only work with a portion of the patients, but still.

[@PissedOffGhost]

SangoProductions21 lol, that made me laugh more than it should

[@SangoProductions213]

lol

[@levimurdoch7303]

May I please have 4 and a half phony surgeries???

[@zakhunter4710]

You'll see it when you believe it.

[@ThePharphis]

Please doa video on Chiropractic. So much time and money is wasted on them, and they're 99% useless.

[@timothy558]

It's magic guys. I'm serious. Believe the duck.

[@CasperJoosten]

Interesting. But in the end, surgery is better than no surgery, whether it's real or fake. You would have to open up the patient anyway. Wouldn't it be better to just perform the surgery anyway while you are in there? I mean, if the patient realizes that no real surgery was done, the placebo effect will diminish and you would have to open the patient up again.

[@ThePharphis]

under that logic we might as well treat most things with homeopathy because it's a great placebo, especially if you tell people it has lots of nasty side-effects

[@CasperJoosten]

ThePharphis Ehm... I don't understand... You do realize I actually question the effectiveness of placebo surgery, right? I am not advocating placebo surgery here. If anything, I am saying we shouldn't use it carelessly.

[@ThePharphis]

Casper Joosten It appears as though you're advocating that if we open up a person we might as well do something, anyway. So, I must have misread. I still disagree, though, because I don't think (outside of RCTs) we should be opening up people for sham surgery at all

[@CasperJoosten]

ThePharphis Yeah, I agree. That's why I say it might as well be for a good reason, not just sham surgery.

[@divicool72]

No, because proper surgery is REALLY REALLY expensive and time consuming. It might also have different risks to placebo, and different healing times, etc.

[@legomastr1]

Despite the video being educational, informative and very enjoyable. I dislike and disagree with the practice of using click-bait titles to generate views and notoriety. It's dishonest and it sullies the reputation of this channel. The title is much more fitting on some third rate online tabloid than it does on a show like this. I will not share this video, i will not speak good of it, i will not like it, and if it continues i will unsubscribe from this channel and advise those who watch to do so as well. While it might have come from a good place, it's really sad to see healthcare triage stoop so such a level.

[@Hexilux]

Sham surgeries are unethical.