Placebo use in primary care
Placebos are “inert” substances that have no therapeutic effects but can alleviate symptoms through patients’ participation in the therapeutic encounter and the associated, measurable effects on neurobiological mechanisms [Placebo types can be categorised based on the amount of information provided upon administration. Most historical placebo use has included some level of deception, meaning that patients were misled into believing that the prescribed placebo substances constituted a type of medical treatment [An additional distinction of placebos categories is made based on the type of substance administered [Informal, clinical use of placebos is prevalent across different global healthcare contexts, but quantification of use is complicated due to varying definitions of impure placebos [