Re: Not always joking, it seems

In article <AJ5yj.20148$pM4.11674@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Karl Johanson <karljohanson@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>"Keith F. Lynch" <kfl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
>> Karl Johanson <karljohanson@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>>> There's lots of cheep medical care, if you aren't concerned with
>>> trivialities like useful evidence that the treatments are effective.
>>> Some people will sell you water that they claim they shook.  Some
>>> will wave their hands in the air over your body. Some of those folks
>>> don't charge too much.

>> Then it's unlike cheap food, which actually does nourish, and cheap
>> clothing, which actually does keep you covered and warm.

>Upon thinking about it, there are some very inexpensive evidence based 
>medical procedures. Oral rehydration powder can prevent diahrrea deaths, 
>for very little cost. Selenium can extend HIV infectee's lifespans 
>substantially. I think Selenium laden yeast costs pennies per day.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/03/04/placebos-might-work-even-better-with-a-brand-name/

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/299/9/1016
"It is possible that the therapeutic efficacy of medications is affected
by
commercial features such as lower prices. Because such features influence
patients' expectations, they may play an unrecognized therapeutic role by
influencing the efficacy of medical therapies, especially in conditions
associated with strong placebo responses. To investigate this possibility,
we studied the effect of price on analgesic response to placebo pills."

In a study of 82 subjects, they found that 85% of the group told the pills
cost $2.50 each felt a reduction in pain, compared to 61% of the group
told
they cost $0.10 each.

-- 
Justin Fang (justinf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
)