And sometimes you don't even need a pill to get a placebo effect. Some studies have shown group therapy to be as effective as anti-depressants. Patients were divided into two groups. One received group therapy, the other received an antidepressant. Imaging of the brains of patients in each group showing the same improvements.
Researchers say the words acted like drugs.
To find out more about the placebo effect, you can read this article from the American Psychological Association . To find out more about how some think the effectiveness of Echinacea is due mainly to the placebo effect, you can read this article from The Detroit News .