The Placebox Effect

Television commercials about medications seem to have twenty-five percent information about the medication and its benefits and seventy-five percent information about possible side-effects and under what conditions you should call your doctor and lots of other legal-types of information because we live in a highly-litigious country.

I am quite grateful that we have medical companies researching and discovering medications that help to make use comfortable and assist our body in healing, but every now and then, one of the commercials makes me laugh. 

I saw a commercial the other day that talked about the benefits of Botox for preventing chronic headaches.  I have a friend who has had Botox injections multiple times for just this purpose and has said it's made a significant difference in her headache frequency.   What made me laugh about the commercial was one of the disclaimers they had to legally give:

 If you suffer from chronic migraines, Botox may be able to help. Botox prevents 9 headache days per month, opposed to a placebo that prevents 7 headaches days. To see if Botox is right for you and to see who should not take it, visit BotoxChronicMigraines.com.

Wait, what?  All I need is a placebo injected into me and I will likely have over two-thirds of the results of the actual medication?  Sign me up for some saline injections in that case.

All skepticism aside, candidates for the injection, (those suffering more than fifteen headache days per month), are suffering and those two extra days I am sure are a relief.   Still, it made me laugh when I saw the commercial report on the placebo comparative statistics.

The Big Boy Update:  I need my Skeletope.    My son deconstructed a paint roller today.  There were several parts, but the one he had the best time playing with was the handle.  He was looking through it off into the distance of the back yard and telling me he had a, "skeletope".  It took me a while to realize he meant a telescope and he'd seen it on one of the kids pirate shows. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  The best little cooker.  She likes to help her daddy cook.  For an hour this afternoon she stood right by him (on her stool) and helped him make his meat sauce for a big dinner with guests for tonight.  She engaged him