755 Health News Update

The placebo effect is well known. Taking anything, even a sugar pill, that you think may help can ease symptoms, often surprisingly well. That’s why all new drugs must be studied in comparison to placebo, to see if they work any better. But what about adverse reactions to placebos in those trials? They often mimic the side effect profiles of the drugs being tested. Why? What are the implicatons?
Pomegranates are powerful. We discuss the latest research on this favorite food.
Guest: Jerry Avorn, M.D. is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His article was published in Drug Safety, and his Web site is www.PowerfulMedicines.org