It is real, and people do study why. :) Here comes the opinion part: I think we should study why the placebo effect works.

Yes, it is real and we are studying it. Though it usually is a topic of efficacy and safety with pharm-types. It's an interdisciplinary topic with psychology which could cause some issues... see below. The placebo effect is a well-known phenomena in the scientific community, and clinical trials and other scientific studies are built around the theory. Ethical concerns can arise when there is a risk that patients are not getting the potentially life-saving treatments they need. In some cases, the placebo effect is enough to compensate for this. For example, a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that in 45 controlled trials of antidepressants, subjects in the control group experienced a significant positive therapeutic effect with the placebo only. In cases of treatments involving potentially fatal diseases such as cancer and AIDS, the ethical implications of placebo use may not be as clear-cut. Source Citation: "Placebo effect." Paula Ford-Martin. The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. 2nd Edition. Jacqueline L. Longe, Editor. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2005. Harrington, Anne. The Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999. Shapiro, Arthur K., and Elaine Shapiro. The Powerful Placebo: From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press, 1997.

Yes and yes! :)

We don't need to study why..we already know why. Studies have been done on this already..the positive, optimistic person has a better quality of life, lives longer and does much better during and after surgery than the pessimist. The reason? The brain is a powerful ally and can help the body or work against the body. We don't need more studes..moral is , be positive, you'll live a better, longer and more productive life! :)

Yes, and because the mind can cause physical reactions. This has been studied.

Sure, it's real, and yes, it is studied extensively.

The effect is real especially for people expecting a good outcome. It has been studied and proven. Because of this, we should institute it along with real treatment to get a better result.

It IS real. So instead of studying to see if it works, just use and and help people. Sometimes these drugs on TV, if you check their stats, the real drug is only 2-3% better than the placebo, so why take the real stuff and suffer side effects?

It has been studied and it is real. But it doesn't JUST work with positive thinking people, and it doesn't work with all people. Also one person who makes a recovery through placebo, may not react the same way in another placebo trial. When med companies do trials the volunteers are all told what the med they are being given does. But some of them aren't given the drug. They're given something that does absolutely nothing. But some of those peoples brains who are given nothing create a placebo effect, causing that person to feel better. Because they've been told it may make them feel better, their brain does the rest. In some trials the placebo effect doesn't work at all. IE with nicotine replacement trials. It's all quite hit and miss and very random. But scientists are still trying to figure out just what it is, that causes the brain to believe and produce positive results when lied to and told the meds will help them.