Common Cold And The Placebo Effect Researchers have found that
the so-called placebo effect works to help sufferers recover
from the common cold. For example, if you believe that chicken
soup or vitamin C will cure your cold then chances are it might
work for you. A study of more than 700 patients focused on how
the placebo effect works on the common cold. The placebo effect
is a phenomenon witnessed in clinical trials where people who
are given an inactive, fake “treatments” such as a sugar pill or
saline show improvements. Reuter reports that the effect has
been seen in a number of conditions ranging from chronic pain to
depression to inflammatory disorders and even cancer. The study
group of 719 participants who were just starting to show signs
of cold symptoms was randomly assigned to one of four groups.
One group was given Echinacea, an herbal cold remedy, and they
had knowledge of what they were getting. Two other groups were
either given Echinacea or a placebo, but they were not aware of
which one they