Following Directions for Better Health
Taking meds exactly as prescribed may have a placebo effect of its own. An analysis of 21 clinical trials shows that whether participants took the active drug or a placebo, those who took the drugs as prescribed had 44% fewer deaths than those who didn’t follow the instructions.
The author of an editorial that accompanies the study, which was published in the July 1 issue of the British Medical Journal, asserts that this is evidence of the mind-body connection of the feeling of being cared for by one’s doctors and caring for oneself.
Last Updated on July 19, 2013 by Kerrie Smyres
