tjs@cbdkc1.UUCP (03/29/85)
Here is an easy question for you medical proof types. What is used as
placebos for medical testing? I imagine that different things are used
to substitute for what the other group is using (pills, liquids,
capsules, etc). Please use common names (if they exist) for the
substances used. Perhaps there is a significant science to making
these things so that they seem real?
{ihnp4|allegra}!cbdkc1!tjswerner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (12/06/85)
>> >>Incidently, no one has ever proved the familar anti-diarrheal, Kaopectate, >>works clinically, indeed pharmacologically there is no reason why it should, >>but it continues to sell very well anyway because people think it works, & >>John Gurian WRONGO! Actually, Kaopectate is a very effective inhibitor of gut motility, which would correlate very well with its effect at stopping the symptoms of diarhhea. Notice I say the symptoms. If the diarhhea is caused by bacteria, stopping it with Kaopectate will make you feel good for awhile, but it will ultimately make the diarhhea worse and it last longer. For Montezuma's Revenge and other bacterial diarrhea, try Pepto-Bismol, in advance. It comes will recommended. The Gastronenterologist who lectured on bacterial diarrheas placed a bottle of the pink stuff on the lectern. -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "Comedy, like Medicine, was never meant to be practiced by the general public."
sdyer@bbncc5.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (12/08/85)
> WRONGO! > Actually, Kaopectate is a very effective inhibitor of gut motility, > which would correlate very well with its effect at stopping the symptoms of > diarhhea. Notice I say the symptoms. If the diarhhea is caused by bacteria, > stopping it with Kaopectate will make you feel good for awhile, but it will > ultimately make the diarhhea worse and it last longer. Huh? Perhaps Craig could tell us what active component of Kaopectate (the kaolin clay or the pectin or the water, perhaps) is a very effective inhibitor of gut motility. It would be news to me (and the investigators who did the controlled studies). Craig must obviously be confusing Kaopectate with Parepectolin, which is Kaopectate+tincture of opium. Tincture of opium, paregoric and other opiates like Lomotil and Imodium all have a characteristic effect on the motility of the gut, which is often used to advantage in controlling certain diarrheas. -- /Steve Dyer {harvard,seismo}!bbnccv!bbncc5!sdyer sdyer@bbncc5.ARPA