People with asthma perceive snake oil to work as well as albuterol (RCT, NEJM)
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Wechsler et al randomized and crossed-over 39 subjects with stable asthma to sequentially receive treatment with 1) albuterol; 2) fake albuterol; 3) fake acupuncture, or 4) nothing. Although albuterol improved stable asthmatic subjects' FEV1 by 20%, they perceived equal improvement in subjective symptoms when given a sham inhaler or a sham acupuncture treatment. (These also improved FEV1 by 7%!) The one thing these 39 subjects did
People with asthma perceive snake oil to work as well as albuterol (RCT, NEJM)
People with asthma perceive snake oil to work…
People with asthma perceive snake oil to work as well as albuterol (RCT, NEJM)
Wechsler et al randomized and crossed-over 39 subjects with stable asthma to sequentially receive treatment with 1) albuterol; 2) fake albuterol; 3) fake acupuncture, or 4) nothing. Although albuterol improved stable asthmatic subjects' FEV1 by 20%, they perceived equal improvement in subjective symptoms when given a sham inhaler or a sham acupuncture treatment. (These also improved FEV1 by 7%!) The one thing these 39 subjects did