Column Health & Medicine

Got a cold? A placebo might help

A common decongestant doesn’t work any better than a placebo, but that might be good enough

By Laura Sanders

Senior Writer, Neuroscience

Pills and capsules in circular dishes against a tan background

Evidence suggests the placebo effect can offer some relief from coughs and stuffy noses.

Tanja Ivanova/Moment/Getty Images, T. Tibbitts

The viruses of cold and flu season are upon us, and in us, where they’re causing misery upon misery. But don’t worry. You can hop online, and for a mere $24.95,