Pursuing the Placebo Effect

In February 2012, PiPS Director Ted Kaptchuk and PiPS Senior Faculty Arthur Barsky presented at Talks@Twelve, a quarterly lecture given to the Harvard Medical School community. We just received the a link to the video filmed by the Harvard Medical School Communications Office. To watch, click here.

Photo by Angela Alberti

“Placebo Therapy as an Ethical Alternative”

In March 2012, PiPS Associate Director Irving Kirsch, presented a plenary address at the 2012 Integrative Medicine & Health Congress in Portland, OR. The talk, “Placebo Therapy as an Ethical Alternative,” outlines Dr. Kirsch’s research of the placebo effect in depression and his suggestions for how these findings might transform health care. For a video of the lecture and slides, click here.

Ted Kaptchuk discusses placebos with Heather Kahn

Can A Sugar Pill Help You Feel Better? Surprising New Research on Placebos

Ted Kaptchuk, Director of the Program in Placebo Studies & the Therapeutic Encounter at BIDMC, talks about the role of the placebo to health and describes the surprising results of a recent study which found that patients with irritable bowel syndrome felt better after receiving placebo treatments – even though they knew they were getting sugar pills.

Click here to view video

60 MINUTES | Treating Depression: Is there a placebo effect?

PiPS Associate Director Irving Kirsch discusses the placebo effect with Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes this past Sunday.

Click here for the video, transcript and the “60 Minutes Overtime” show.

PiPS to be on 60 Minutes Sunday 2/19/12 7pm

PiPS Associate Director Irving Kirsch and his work examining the role of the placebo response in antidepressants will be featured on 60 Minutes this coming Sunday (February 19) at 7pm. For the preview of Irving’s conversation with Lesley Stahl and viewing information, click here.