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Placebo effects have a bad reputation in the medical world. Physicians are trained to dismiss them as misleading — as in, “it’s only a placebo effect,” or “it’s no different from a placebo effect.” Placebo is a label that marks a drug as ineffective and disqualifies research subjects who respond to “bogus” treatments. But what if patients who take “honest placebos” — meaning they are told explicitly that they are swallowing sugar pills — can still experience relief from discomfort and disability? (Ted J. Kaptchuk, 12/19)

Many technology enthusiasts believe electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to substantially improve health and reduce the cost of care. A broad swath of physicians believe EHRs are costly, burdensome monstrosities, draining the pleasure out of practicing medicine and profoundly disrupting the interaction between doctor and patient. (Robert F. Graboyes and Darcy Nikol Bryan, 12/19)

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is spending $3.7 million of its operational funds promoting its new Stead Family Children’s Hospital. UIHC officials told the Cedar Rapids Gazette's Erin Jordan that the campaign is intended to raise awareness of the new facility not only in Iowa, but Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. But are these ads helping parents make informed choices about their children’s health care, or do they simply advance the interests of the state’s largest public hospital? (12/17)

With conservative Republicans in control of all three branches of government, the GOP war on women is about to go nuclear. Abortion has been the main battlefield for half a century, but now even contraception is eyed with disdain. (12/17)

What the governor and other pro-life people do not realize is that most abortions that happen after 20 weeks are usually for medical reasons and are not because the pregnancy is inconvenient or unwanted. Some examples include patients whose membranes rupture prematurely while the fetus still has a heartbeat. These patients have the option to continue the pregnancy. However, without fluid in the second trimester, the lungs may not develop and the fetus will die after delivery or the mother will become infected and, if not allowed to deliver while the fetus has a heartbeat, she could die of sepsis. (Anita Somani, 12/16)

Next year, you may notice that your young doctor looks even more sleep-deprived than usual. The council that oversees American medical residencies has recently proposed allowing first-year residents to work 28 hours in a row, instead of the current limit of 16. (Elisabeth Poorman, 12/16)

There have always been food-insecure senior citizens in lines at pantry and hot meal programs served by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, but in the last few years, there has been a marked change. In the wake of the recession, the Food Bank began receiving numerous calls to their Help Center from seniors, many of them homebound and in need of food, but unable to get to a pantry. (Kristin Warzocha and Akram Boutros, 12/16)

Determined to retroactively turn "Dazed and Confused" into a documentary, Wisconsin state Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) is proposing a new state law requiring all public and private school students involved in extracurricular activities be subjected to random drug testing.  The proposed bill, which won't be introduced until next year, also would require the state Department of Instruction to set a statewide "model policy" for school districts. (Christian Schneider, 12/16)