Placebo Pills May Help with Back Pain

People who take a placebo, sometimes called a "dummy pill," along with their regular over-the-counter pain medication may get additional relief from their low-back pain, even if they know the placebo is essentially a dud, a new study finds. Most of these people were already taking pain medications, primarily nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen. Each of the patients was randomly assigned to one of two groups: The first group took their usual medication only