Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials

Claims are often put forward by proponents of alternative remedies and therapies stating that they have tested their treatment and it has passed the test: proof that it works. Skeptics, however, insist that unless a treatment has passed a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, it is not valid.

Why is this? What is so special about the double-blind, placebo-controlled test? To find the answer, we need to look at the different ways that treatments can be tested and what the pitfalls are. (more…)