News & Research, Treatment

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.

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