placebo effect

2 definitions found

placebo effect - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Placebo effect \Pla*ce"bo ef*fect`\, n. (Med.)
     a reaction by a patient who receives a placebo[2], in which
     the symptoms of illness are lessened or an anticipated effect
     is experienced. Because the placebo[2] itself has no
     pharmacological activity, this reaction is mediated by the
     expectations of the patient receiving the placebo[2]; the
     reaction is considered as an example of the power of
     suggestion.
  
     Note: Dramatic subjective effects such as relief of
           discomfort or pain are sometimes observed due to
           administration of a placebo, but in some cases
           measurable physiological effects may also be observed.
           [PJC]

placebo effect - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  placebo effect
      n 1: any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering
           a placebo; the change is usually beneficial and is assumed
           result from the person's faith in the treatment or
           preconceptions about what the experimental drug was
           supposed to do; pharmacologists were the first to talk
           about placebo effects but now the idea has been generalized
           to many situations having nothing to do with drugs