The plural of "anecdote" is not "fact".
I don't suppose I need to explain this one to anyone, but from the comments below that post, it's clear that many people don't understand the placebo effect. The placebo effect is a condition under controlled experiments, where some people given a placebo will physically effect change towards the end goal. The mind is very powerful; if you believe that what you're taking will cure your ills, then for some people this will become true, regardless of whether you took a sugar pill or a powerful drug.
I have a friend that, despite her high level of intelligence, seems to be drawn into believing her psychiatrist friend, who in turn is drawn to unproven homeopathic solutions that are pushed by those within the scientific community, without any direct studies (relying sometimes on indirect studies that suggests A+B=C). I don't think it's necessary to explain how little we understand about the body, but apparently people are just looking for the newest and most convenient panacea available.
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