The Placebo effect - Cheating without any risk

[Crankyhawk]

I stumbled on this article via yahoo today. The conference is the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists scientific meeting (so not Dank level quackery of allegedly using warfarin to improve blood flow)

The professor of neurophysiology at the University of Turin in Italy says placebos can be so potent their use to boost performance poses an important dilemma for competitive sport.
He says the response to drugs is twofold: the physiological effect of the drug itself and the psychological effect.
"There is compelling evidence that if we eliminate the psychological therapeutic ritual, the overall effect of the drug is reduced."

Full link http://au.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/17009971/placebos-pose-a-cheat-risk-for-sport-expert/

Do others think that AFL clubs are exploiting this? Should it be considered cheating? I suppose the most prominent example was the eucalyptus Hawthorn used in 1984...

Personally I have no issue with using a placebo effect; its like having a coaching rev up or a secret training regimen.

 

[the distributer]

100% agree, the thing is when you use the gear (PEDs), they only work if you're willing to put the work in, if you choose to use a PED you will be prepared to go the extra mile on the track, and that's why you get the placebo effect, it's mental, you think because you're on the gear you should be able to work harder, and you do.

 

[Crankyhawk]

As far as the studies involving AOD whatever it is, they didn't perform any different to using, say pink M&Ms. So any benefit Essendon got would be largely through this placebo effect.