They are called “placebos” (the power of suggestion) and they are given to a certain group to check how much influence does the mind have over the body (generally the response is high)

This is called a double blind test. The first part is that the people taking part in the test are identified only by numbers and the scientists do not know which participants are receiving the drug and which are receiving the placebo. The second part is that the participants do not know if they are taking the drug or a placebo. All the information is kept by an independent group so that both the scientists and the participants are “blind” to what is going on.

This is necessary so that no one can skew the results. All the participants are treated the same and all the results are recorded. Only after the test is complete are the results correlated with which participant took what. That way, the scientists can’t jump to conclusions about the drug. For instance, if 100 people take part and 27 get better, 43 stay the same and 30 get worse, it’s important to know how many of each group were taking the drug. By keeping the treatment secret during the test, the scientists can’t fake the results.

This is how it’s supposed to work. I for one am very skeptical about any new drugs as it has become obvious that the drug testing in this country is suspect. You only have to look at Premarin, Vioxx, Fosamax and many other drugs passed as safe by the USDA to know that there is something rotten in the state of Denmark.

You could say that it is a mental thing. Yes, Group 1 is given the real drug and Group 2 is given the placebo (neither group knows who has the real drug). The scientists will test each group and, based on the answers, can determine whether or not the drug is effective and if there are any side effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, increased blood pressure, etc.). Some members of Group 2 will think they have the drug and may have “symptoms” (the side effects I mentioned) when actually, it is all in the head or there is something else going on medically (Group 2 members eventually find out that they had the placebo).