Paula
I've been hovering over this thread topic for days, not knowing where to begin. You and I know this has been a bone of contention for the Pipeline Project for years. Bottom line, I believe researchers have over-used (maybe even abused) this placebo effect in dealing with Parkinson's disease. They are (in my opinion) saying that for PD research to be accurately pure and "objective," one is to not have hope or expectations in the results of experimental treatments.

I am too tired to reply fully tonight, but I'd like for some of you to read this article from The Skeptic Magazine before commenting. Does anyone know how reliable the information in this magazine is? (Calling all librarians!)

Here's an excerpt to entice you to read it: (source link at the end)

Hope, optimism, and the belief in a positive future (i.e., faith) is essential for human psychological and neurological functioning, a concept that was first addressed in the 1950s by the psychiatrist Vicktor Frankl, who was imprisoned in a Nazi death camp until the end of World War II. In his famous book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he said that the single most important thing that kept a survivor alive was faith. . . .

Now, faith in an optimistic future may be a placebo, but it’s important to remember that placebos can cure, on the average, 30% of the majority of physical and emotional diseases. Even an irrational belief in a cure that has been proven not to work can significantly boost the body’s immune system when dealing with a deadly disease.2

But what about unrealistic faith or optimism? Recently, a team of National Institutes of Health researchers concluded that “a moderate optimistic illusion” appears to be neurologically essential for maintaining motivation and good mental health.3 They also found that highly optimistic people had greater activation in the same parts of the anterior cingulated, a part of the brain that plays a crucial role in controlling anxiety, depression, and rage, as well as fostering social awareness and compassion.

Source: http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-05-27