Reminds me of the story of the Vatican official sent to judge the miraculous healing properties of a shrine.  He looked at the pile of crutches, canes and wheelchairs left by &quot;cured&quot; people.  &quot;What? No wooden legs?&quot;<p>Placebos can work in some narrow circumstances, but they cannot fix some basic problems.  Pain relief? sure.  But in place of an antibiotic?  Expect a lawsuit.