Topic: Ted Kapchuk

1 chapters across the catalog

32: Nocebo
• 1:00:06 - 1:05:28

32: Nocebo

Placebo and Nocebo Effects in Medical Trials

The segment defines the "nocebo effect"— the dark counterpart to the placebo effect—where negative expectations cause real physical symptoms. Examples include patients in clinical trials dropping out due to side effects they were merely warned about, and men developing erectile dysfunction after being told a drug might cause it. Ted Kapchuk of Harvard University suggests that the ritual of medical care and the trust in a caregiver are more influential than the medicine itself.