Is an Allergy to a COVID Vaccine Always Real? Placebo Trial Casts Doubt

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• March 2, 2023
• Full Page

Allergic reactions to the Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccines are very rare, and a new study questions whether many of those that do occur are even real.

In a small new study of 16 people who said they'd experienced an allergic reaction to a dose of the Pfizer vaccine, thos...

Placebo Pill Eases Cancer-Related Fatigue in Study

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• June 6, 2022
• Full Page

Patients with advanced cancer often suffer crippling fatigue, but there has been little in the way of relief for them as they battle their disease.

Now, a new investigation may have landed on a surprising solution -- a dummy pill that contains no medication of any kind.<...

Placebo Effect Plays Big Role in Antidepressant's Impact on Anxiety: Study

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• November 10, 2021
• Full Page

Illustrating the power of the mind to heal itself, new research suggests that the placebo effect could help drive antidepressants' effects against anxiety disorders.

The placebo effect refers to an increase in the success of a treatment when a patient expects a benefit.<...

Can Flotation Tanks Ease Chronic Pain?

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• May 26, 2021
• Full Page

As a means of providing long-term relief from chronic pain, flotation tanks simply don't hold water, new research reveals.

Nearly 100 people plagued by longstanding pain underwent "flotation restricted environmental stimulation therapy" (REST), and the results were disap...

CBD: How Much Pain Relief Is Real and How Much Is Placebo?

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2021
• Full Page

CBD is all the rage, and millions of people are turning to it for a host of reasons, including pain relief.

But despite CBD's popularity and widespread use, new research finds it's actual benefits are less clear.

The bottom line? CBD -- and your expectations about ...

Little Evidence Pain Creams Work

• Robert Preidt
• February 5, 2019
• Full Page

Despite their wide use, commercial pain creams and gels don't do much for chronic pain, a new report claims.

In fact, the government-funded study, ordered by U.S. Congress, found these creams/gels were no better than placebos, researchers said.

"Our study ...