Placebos, expectations, and the power of words.

摘要

The title of a recent New York Times article reads, "As sports medicine surges, hope and hype outpace proven treatments." It highlights platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a theory that became a fad. It claims that PRP, although not untested, is unproven as a therapy (8). In general, the points it makes to support this claim seem valid to me, but not all will agree. In past columns, I have pondered the power of placebos, as have others (3,4,13). Considering the news on PRP and other unproven therapies in sports medicine, an update seems apt. So this column covers recent reports of placebos, expectations, and word power as they may apply to the art and science of sports medicine.