focus -WSS

focus

author：entertainment 2025-09-29 19:04:45 - browse：32

Have you ever taken phenylephrine for a stuffed-up nose and then felt better? If so, you might have been perplexed when Food and Drug Administration experts recently said that that the drug — which is in some versions of DayQuil, Sudafed, and other medicines — is no more effective than a placebo.

But to Michael H. Bernstein, an assistant professor of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, it all makes sense. Bernstein says that “no better than a placebo” still means that it works, sort of. “If we expect to feel better, then we probably will,” he told me. And that complicates the idea of what medical treatment “works.”

On this episode of the “First Opinion Podcast,” we discuss the placebo effect and its counterpart, the “nocebo effect” — if you tell patients something will make them feel worse, it generally comes true. “You’re better off hearing from a doctor something to the effect of 3 out of 4 patients who take this drug have no side effects at all versus 25% of people who take this drug do get side effects,” he said.

Bernstein also shared the delightful story of how he got into the “medical expectations” field, which started with an experiment in which he had to convince underage students that they were drinking alcohol when they weren’t.

Our conversation was based on a First Opinion Bernstein recently wrote with Grayson L. Baird, “Phenylephrine is no better than a placebo. What if that’s still better than nothing?”

Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Previous article： Novavax promises a turnaround & Lilly roils the obesity market
Next article： As Taiwan prepares for anti

Wikipedia

WSS

Secretariat’s lessons for human medicine

Obamacare plans could cover weight loss drugs

Obamacare plans could cover weight loss drugs

Opioid cravings were reduced by anti

New rules on organ donation and transplantation 'will bring chaos'

What to know about Saharan dust affecting the US and how it can affect health

knowledge

focus

hotspot

Heart attack and stroke risk calculators need revising

White House launches permanent pandemic office

Biden outlines 'new path' to provide student loan relief after Supreme Court rejection

Researchers tackle phage therapy hurdles for wider adoption

Dobbs anniversary: the lost opportunity of abortion as health care

A new drug could help frostbite victims avoid its ravages

Heart attack and stroke risk calculators need revising

Obamacare plans could cover weight loss drugs

The high cost of giving birth even with insurance

Hyaluronic acid injections don’t help knee osteoarthritis, study finds

explore

Medicare Advantage enrollment hits roughly 33.4 million

Review: 'Barbie' will hit you like a shot in the heart

Southern California school board OKs curriculum after Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened a $1.5M fine

Abridge raises $150m as clinical notes automation market heats up

Providers still hesitate to prescribe buprenorphine, study finds

As AI regulations shape up, health tech startups beg for clarity

focus

hotspot

Wikipedia

knowledge