Host A and B explore the groundbreaking research at Harvard Medical School where patients with chronic back pain showed significant improvement despite knowing they were taking sugar pills. The episode delves into Dr. Ted Kaptchuk's revolutionary studies on open-label placebos, examining how transparent placebo treatments challenge traditional assumptions about deception in placebo effects. Through patient testimonials and neuroimaging data, we uncover how expectation pathways in the brain can trigger natural pain-killing mechanisms, even when patients are fully aware they're receiving a placebo.