> Restless leg syndrome for example. I know because I get this from time to time but I don't think its an illness to be medicated...
That's like saying because you have a mole that you know skin cancer is made up.
My wife has, at times, been up from 10pm to 6am, sobbing because she's exhausted yet can't sit still for longer than a few seconds. It's sure as hell not a "little discomfort". It's not "my legs are itchy", it's "I cannot stop moving my legs at all without experiencing extreme discomfort".
Agreed, which was why I included: "...while some of the conditions may be real for some people". I'm not disputing real conditions like your wife's, I'm saying some medical conditions these days have symptoms so loosely interpretable by the general public that anyone with achy legs may think they have it, and thus possibly try to medicate it. Perhaps this leads to a greater number of these people in study groups.... and perhaps that leads a measurable rise in placebo effectiveness. Anyhow, just an idle theory.
That's like saying because you have a mole that you know skin cancer is made up.
My wife has, at times, been up from 10pm to 6am, sobbing because she's exhausted yet can't sit still for longer than a few seconds. It's sure as hell not a "little discomfort". It's not "my legs are itchy", it's "I cannot stop moving my legs at all without experiencing extreme discomfort".