Ground-breaking research into the study of placebos has been revealed at an event celebrating some of the UK’s most exciting writers.
Best-selling author Professor Jeremy Howick launched his new book, The Power of Placebos: How the Science of Placebos and Nocebos Can Improve Health Care, during a special satellite event of the Leicester Literary Festival.
Drawing on more than 20 years of research and data from over 300,000 patients, the new book offers practical ways that researchers, policymakers and doctors can use placebo and nocebo research to improve health outcomes.
Professor Howick, who is director of The Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare based at the University of Leicester, said: “Placebos are the most widely used treatments in the history of medicine and thousands of studies show they can be effective.
“However, there’s confusion about what placebos are, and how to measure their effects, which prevents some doctors from using them to help their patients.
“At the book launch we explored whether a revolution in placebo studies is needed and I encouraged researchers to bridge the gap between academia and real-world patient care.
“It was great to discuss unleashing the untapped potential of placebos and confronting ethical considerations for a healthcare transformation.”
The event, Do Placebo Studies Need Another Revolution? A conversation with Professor Jeremy Howick, was hosted by Professor Andrew Papanikitas who is deputy editor of the British Journal of General Practice.
Professor Howick’s new book is available from https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12830/power-placebos.
For further information about The Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, visit https://le.ac.uk/empathy.
