Most people know about the placebo effect, which refers to the power of positive expectations to induce pleasant sensations or symptom improvements. (Placebo roughly translates to “I shall please.”) Nocebo translates to “I shall harm.”

It’s hard to predict which would be more disconcerting: Finding out that your doctor believes in notions that defy basic science—like, the pseudoscientific doctrine of homeopathy—or that they’ll prescribe you something they know doesn’t _...Read More_