Table 2. Comparison of Canadian and American response distributions for questions regarding the therapeutic mechanisms and potential of placebos and placebo-like therapies.
| A. What benefits do you think placebo treatments can have for the following health problems? | ||
| Both PSYC and PHYS | Neither PSYC nor PHYS | |
| Condition | Canada (%) / US (%) | Canada (%) / US (%) |
| Pain | 59 / 40* | 9 /15 |
| Mental or emotional disorders | 49 / 37* | 6 / 14* |
| Sexual dysfunction | 48 / 33* | 8 / 18* |
| Recovery from drug addiction | 47 / 32* | 13 / 24* |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | 44 / 35* | 11 / 22* |
| Neurological disorders | 38 / 28* | 17 / 33* |
| Immune problems or allergies | 31 / 28 | 29 / 45* |
| Cardiovascular disorders | 30 / 23* | 28 / 47* |
| Cancer | 29 / 23 | 19 / 33* |
| Viral infections | 20 / 20 | 30 / 38 |
| B. No consensus has been reached regarding the following categories. | ||
| What types of benefits do you think they can have? | ||
| Both PSYC and PHYS | Neither PSYC nor PHYS | |
| Condition | Canada (%) / US (%) | Canada (%) / US (%) |
| Meditation, yoga or relaxation techniques | 86 / 83 | 1 / 1 |
| Good emotional health | 82 / 74* | 1 / 0 |
| Social support system | 69 / 65 | 1 / 0 |
| Biofeedback | 65 / 76* | 7 / 4 |
| Doctor-patient rapport | 64 / 51* | 2 / 6 |
| Complementary and alternative medicine | 64 / 69 | 6 / 6 |
| Expectation or belief | 61 / 48* | 3 / 3 |
| Prayer or spirituality | 58 / 53 | 4 / 3 |
| Interior design of health care environment | 34 / 37 | 14 / 15 |
* indicates significant differences between Canada and US data as determined by chi-square comparisons (p < 0.05)
PSYC = psychological benefit; PHYS = physiological benefit