Capitalizing on the placebo component of treatments

Abstract

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Beedie, C., Foad, A. J., & Hurst, P. (2015). Capitalizing on the placebo component of treatments. Current Sports Medicine Reports. Document embargo until 31/07/16.

A placebo treatment is traditionally administered in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial to control for the ?real? effects of the treatment under investigation. In the present paper a broader view of the placebo is proposed, one in which the idea of a potentially ?useable? placebo component of a sports or exercise medicine treatment is presented. It is argued that many interventions in sport and exercise psychology might contain a placebo component that could be capitalized upon by practitioners, through processes often as simple as communicating positive expectations of a treatment to clients. Research findings relating to factors that might influence an individual?s response to a placebo, such as personality, situation and genetics, are briefly addressed. Ethical considerations for practice and future research are discussed. Embargo until 31/07/2016.

authorsversion

Peer reviewed