Ain't the same.
You gotta remember, the kid is relying on their faith in their parents, and all the placebo is doing is making a slightly more "official" version of a "kiss to make it all better".
I'll vouch for the efficacy of non-medicinal treatment for a lot of kid complaints. There were lots of times when my daughter was small, that she would have some complaint or another, and I'd tell her that "Daddy will make it alright", and that assurance, coupled with pretty much any action I would take, was enough to ease the pain.
Fix a broken bone? Of course not. But the usual kid's whining? Sure.
I can still remember how a hug and a kiss from my mom would make any skinned knee or bruise all better. Heck even today a warm blanket, cup of soup, and full TV remote access can make a cold 10X better.
That is exactly what a band aid over my two year old's navel did...stopped his tummy from hurting. Obviously he was not in any real distress, had he been, I would never risked a placebo.
It’s similar to a tactic I took to help my son when he was afraid of monsters in his room. I told him that if he would clap they would go away. I don’t think monsters are really afraid of clapping, but he believed it and so, they went away!
susie
Many, many times we used an ice pack (a couple of ice cubes in a sandwich bag) to “treat” bumps and bruises, headaches, etc. Usually worked miracles.