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About the Cover: When designing a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of OMT, researchers must make several choices concerning control strategies. First, they must decide whether to use a sham treatment. Second, if a sham treatment is chosen, they must determine which sham treatment is appropriate for the study, the goal being to control for the potential therapeutic effects of touch and belief, which are components of the placebo effect. If subjects can be blinded to group assignment, then the placebo effect can be controlled. However, it is challenging to design a sham protocol that is both ineffective and plausible. Beginning on page 107, Donald R. Noll, DO, et al add to a growing body of literature on the use of sham treatments in manual medicine research.

(Cover design by Leslie M. Huzyk, Creative Director.)