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Irving Kirsh aims to "explode the myth" of Prozac and its ilk, arguing that there's little evidence that they actually work for most patients. Depression is a chemical imbalance, most people think. Researchers, drug manufacturers, and even the Food and Drug Administration assert that antidepressants work by “normalizing” levels of brain neurotransmitters—chemical messengers such as serotonin. And yet hard science supporting this idea is quite poor, says Irving Kirsch, professor of psychology at the University of Hull in the U.K. An expert on the placebo effect, Kirsch has unearthed evidence that antidepressants do not correct brain chemistry gone awry. More...

$2.5 billion spent, no alternative cures found Big, government-funded studies show most work no better than placebos [Pic] Elizabeth Karkosky uses a Tapas acupressure technique during a therapy session in Portland, Ore. A $2 million government study will test whether this acupressure technique can prevent dieters from regaining weight. June 10, 2009 BETHESDA, Md. - Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do. Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine...

Study shows placebos as good as antipsychotics for the intellectually disabled. Scientists have discovered that taking a sugar pill is more effective than routine medications in treating aggression in people with intellectual disabilities. Until now, patients with intellectual disabilities have been prescribed antipsychotic drugs — normally given to people with a psychiatric disease like schizophrenia — to treat aggressive behaviour such as head banging. But evidence for the drugs' effectiveness has been thin. “Antipsychotic drugs are widely used because they are cheap and at high doses they sedate people,” says Eric Emerson at Lancaster University, an expert in the behaviour...

Cough medicines 'no more effective than placebos' Parents who buy their children over-the-counter cough medicines are wasting their money, according to research. A review by Knut Schroeder and Tom Fahey of Bristol University says they are no more effective than placebos. In a handful of cases, not only did the medicine fail to help the cough but it also produced side-effects including drowsiness, diarrhoea and hyperactivity. The trials involved 400 children, reports the Times. However cough medicine manufacturers deny the claims and say their own findings show more than 90% of consumers are pleased with the effectiveness of cough mixtures....

After thousands of studies, hundreds of millions of prescriptions and tens of billions of dollars in sales, two things are certain about pills that treat depression: Antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft work. And so do sugar pills.Article