PLACEBOS

and

TESTING

questions about Herbs

Thalidomide led to many birth defects in the 1950's and 60's in Europe and Canada including the noted baritone Thomas Quasthoff .

Placebos

Long-Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer

Placebos have been shown to be effective for treating: anxiety, tension, melancholia, schizophrenia, pain of all sorts, headaches, cough, insomnia, seasickness, chronic bronchitis, the common cold, arthritis, peptic ulcer, hypertension, nausea, senile dementia, etc.

side effects include: nausea, headache, dizziness, sleepiness, insomnia, fatigue, depression, numbness, hallucinations, itching, vomiting, tremor, tachycardia, diarrhea, pallor, rashes, hives, ataxia, and edema

they are even occasionally addictive patients show a tendency to increase the dose, a compulsive desire to take the substance, and an abstinence syndrome when they are deprived of it.

SciAm Clip

power of placebos

Adulteration

NYTimes 1855
NYTimes 1887

Experts Question Placebo Pill for Children

Drug Testing

photo by Ansel Adams

Cell Screening

Clinical Trials

This site lists lots of trials

and other information about clinical research

Blind studies, double blind studies and triple blind studies are now routine to determine the efficacy of drugs. A double blind result can vary dramatically from a single blind study. Cultural differences also effect studies.

Originally formed because of adulteration of coffee the FDA requires testing of drugs to prove their efficacy and safety

The recent withdrawing of fen/phen from the market because of heart valve damage echoes the thalidomide tragedy of the early 60's which led to refinements in the drug approval process of clinical trials

phase I trials are small (<100) and determine the safety of a drug and effective dossage
phase II trials are also small (several hundred) and efficacy of the drug
phase III trials are large (thousands) and determine side effects
phase IV trials are follow-up studies that can find problems such as that with fen/phen

from Nature 444, 532-533 30 November 2006

Thalidomide seems to be helpful for many of the symptoms of AIDS for leprosy and cancers.And the FDA has recently approved its use.

in the future personalized drugs

The down side

Interesting Facts

The FDA has so far approved 30 drugs for AIDS and AIDS-related conditions. Another 110 anti-HIV drugs are in various stages of development and clinical testing. But it might be a while, since it takes an average of 15 years and some $400 million to bring a drug from the laboratory to the pharmacy. SOURCE: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee. Of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats. SOURCE: Dr. Bruce Ames, UC Berkeley, in Smithsonian Magazine 12/95

scandals

For Good Health,
It Helps to Be
Rich and Important
from a study of British
Civil Servants

Fresh light thrown on tragic drug trial
Animal tests may have missed danger because monkeys 'too clean'.