Table 1.

Definitions of the two modes of action

Mode of action	Definition
Pharmacological action	The pharmacological action is the interaction of compounds in the body via biochemical pathways. For example, individuals with diabetes inject insulin to regulate their blood levels of glucose
Non-specific action	Non-specific action is also known as the placebo effect. In this case, the caring attention of the physician, the desire of the patient to recover, and/or the associated circumstances of the therapy cause the patient to get better

Psychotherapies are excluded from these definitions because they cannot be assigned to either action.