University of Rochester researchers used the placebo effect to successfully treat psoriasis patients with one quarter to one half of their usual dose of a widely used steroid medication.

The new technique could improve treatment for several chronic diseases that involve mental state or the immune system, by mixing active drug and placebo (also making possible a dramatic and timely reduction in healthcare costs).

The researchers suggest that the drug’s therapeutic effect could be based on conditioned responses triggered by qualities associated with the drug, like its shape, color, smell and packaging, as well as by its administration by an authority figure in a white lab coat.