Who is right when patients say they get the same relief from placebos for their asthma symptoms as their prescription drug, while clinical tests find that only the medication has any significant effect? These surprising findings were reported by Harvard University researchers in the latest issue of NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine). Symptoms of wheezing and coughing, according to participating stable asthma patients, improved with placebo inhalers (inhalers with dummy drugs in them) and fake acupuncture, to the same extent as with an albuterol inhaler, the patients reported... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

In conclusion, this programme highlights insufficient awareness of venous thromboembolic disease in Switzerland, underestimation of its burden and inconsistent application of international consensus statement guidelines regarding prophylaxis and treatment adopted by the Swiss Expert Group. PMID: 21720971 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Swiss Medical Weekly)

Asthma and many ailments can be partially just in your head research released this week claims. A new study finds that the power of the placebo effect versus albuterol inhalers left asthma patients thinking that real and fake drugs were doing the same level of good. The results even convinced patients they were breathing much better even if they hadn't taken a real drug and hadn't actually improved much... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Cigarette smoking has been implicated in the development of some uncommon respiratory interstitial diseases. Desquamative interstitial pneumonia and respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung diseases are characterized by a diffuse alveolar and peribronchiolar filling with macrophages, respectively. Pulmonary Langerhans' cell histiocytosis is a rare interstitial lung disorder characterized by the proliferation of Langerhans' cell forming interstitial infiltrates and nodules that could progress to cavitary nodules. The treatment of these disorders involves smoking cessation and sometimes the use of steroids. High-resolution computed tomography is essential for the characterization of these smoking-related interstitial lung diseases, but frequently it is necessary to crea...