Keywords

placebo effect, nonspecific effects, meaning making in health and illness, holistic interventions

Authors

1. Donnelly, Gloria F. PhD, RN, FAAN

Abstract

The growing use of holistic interventions in the form of complementary and alternative therapies has renewed interest in the placebo effect. A brief history of thought on the placebo effect as a nonspecific, debonafide effect and the result of meaning making were explored. Case situations illustrate the interplay among holistic interventions, the placebo effect, and healing.