A recent scientific study was completed which definitively determined that fake surgery worked just as well as real knee surgery.

The scientists and doctors involved were surprised to find the placebo effect was alive and well, even when it came to physical treatments.

Because current knee surgery is so iffy and usually has to be repeated (especially on athletes,) the experts wanted to find out if the surgery actually did anything at all.

The doctors and patients didn't know whether it would be fact or fiction when they went into the operating room (of course, in order to be in the study the patients had to agree to not know, and just go with the flow.) The doctors were given an envelope just before surgery (sterilized, no doubt) and the patient was sedated and was entertained with music to keep from knowing (even through the anasthetic) what the doctor was saying (just a small safeguard.)

The long and the short of it was that over a period of time the patients who simply had small cuts made where the real surgery would have happened, had as much relief from their kneee problems as the ones who actually had their knees opened up, had small bits and pieces removed and had their kneecaps flushed to clear away debris.

Hmmm....very interesting. This could save people a lot of money.

Who believes in the placebo effect?

Monika eek