I just came across this study. It was published back in 1999 but it's kind of cool so I thought I'd share it with you.
de Craen et al (1999) performed a review of 79 duodenal ulcer clinical trials that administered either a 2-times daily or a 4-times daily treatment regimen. The interesting thing is that the researchers looked specifically not at active duodenal ulcer treatments but rather at placebo treatments.
When they pooled the data from all 79 studies they found that the 4 week healing rate of the trials employing a 2-times daily regimen was 36.2%, but was 44.2% for trials employing a 4-times daily regimen! Thus, treatment 4 times daily was more effective than treatment 2 times daily. But these were placebos, inactive treatments. Dose shouldn't make a difference with pharmacologically inert placebos. Yet, it did. This is a fascinating result -- not only can placebos prompt healing of duodenal ulcers (which is amazing in an of itself) but higher doses, provoke greater healing rates!!
De Craen et al. (1999). Placebo effect in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 48 (6), 853-860.
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