Clinical Conversations

July 16th, 2011

Podcast 126: Placebos and Medical ‘Meaning’

Last week’s New England Journal of Medicine paper on the placebo effect in evaluating asthma treatments was fascinating in itself. The editorial that accompanied it, however, was a delight. It asks clinicians to think less about laboratory measures of cure, and more about the patient’s satisfaction with treatment — whether the treatment was “real” or not. […]

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November 21st, 2008

Podcast 21: An interview with Dr. Steven T. DeKosky about his JAMA paper showing that ginkgo extract does not prevent dementia

It’s the usual offering: the week’s news summarized, an interview, and a quick exit. This week we talk with Steven DeKosky about his JAMA paper on the (lack of) usefulness of ginkgo extract in preventing dementia. The links will point you to a good resource on these alternative therapies and what’s known about them. Don’t […]

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