THE PLACEBO RESPONSE (Book Review)

HOW YOU CAN RELEASE THE BODY'S INNER PHARMACY FOR BETTERHEALING Cliff Street Books, $14

Recently, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine made headlines by questioning the placebo effect--the tendency of patients to benefit from ostensibly ineffective treatments. Howard Brody, M.D., Ph.D., a family practice and philosophy professor at Michigan State University, not only defends the placebo effect but also suggests that we can put it to good use. Learn to forgive, maintain social connections and take an active role in your health care, he argues, and the placebo response will release your "inner pharmacy" and help you heal.