A placebo is a substance or procedure which should have no therapeutic effect. A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect."his Aunt Beatrice had been kept alive on sympathy and placebos for thirty years" a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs. a measure designed merely to calm or please someone. This is what we have been taught since childhood. That placebos are all in the mind. However, in...

Generic medication can be a life-saver for a lot of people who cannot afford to purchase their brand-name counterpart. In a recent article, we talked about the cost of medication in the US in comparison to other developed countries. We wanted to follow that up with a recent episode of Fresh Air. In this episode, they spoke to journalist Katherine Eban about her new book, Bottle of Lies. In the book, Eban illustrates the many safety failures we have suffered at the hands of corporate greed and federal...