Do cultures influence placebo response?

Ethnic minority inequalities in access to treatments for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders: findings from a nationally representative cross-sectional study

“…For example, in a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, the authors highlighted that depot preparations were more likely to reduce the risk of relapse compared to oral preparations [ 26 ]. It is also possible that preferences for injectable medications follow differing cultural expectations for allopathic treatments [ 27 ]. It is possible that the frequency of depot prescriptions by ethnicity observed in the present study reflected these and other factors, although we were unable to assess this further.…”

“…We were only able to adjust for some of these factors in our models. Research within this area is still relatively scant [ 28 ], specifically with respect to the role of cultural factors in shaping expectation and response to treatments [ 27 , 28 ]. More could be done to understand this better.…”

International Cross-Sectional Study on the Effectiveness of Okada Purifying Therapy, a Biofield Therapy, for the Relief of Various Symptoms

“…33,34 The outcomes of biofield therapy may be influenced by individual's ethnic/cultural background as well as their expectation, situations of receiving the therapy, and relationship with the practitioner. [35][36][37][38] The degree of acculturation and/or duration of residence in a certain country may also play a role. 39 Ghiasuddin et al reported that pediatric oncology patients who received healing touch and their parents in Hawaii had attitudes/beliefs around health care that were rooted in their traditional cultural values with the younger generation being less traditional.…”

Unsolved, Forgotten, and Ignored Features of the Placebo Response in Medicine

“…Despite known influences of the sociocultural background of patients and healthy volunteers in pain perception and tolerance, 36 no study ever assessed whether the cultural background of a patient and/or volunteer contributed to placebo analgesia, not to speak of other placebo paradigms, although this has been proposed 37 ; even the color of drugs may play a differential role across cultures. 38 This could easily be done within a single laboratory setting by using patients with a variable migration history, but less easy across different national, geographic, or cultural settings.…”

“…Cultural differences might also directly apply to clinical settings and clinical applications, 37 down to the fact that the color of drugs may signal different meanings and different efficacy in patients from different ethnic backgrounds. 44 It may be speculated that occasional differences in drug efficacy between the United States, Europe, and Asia may be due to such ignored cultural factors [45][46][47][48] ; certainly, differences in the placebo use across borders are likely also to be due to cultural differences in perception and acceptance of the placebo concept.…”