clinical trials

I was just wondering, in the restore trial, for those who don't really know for 6 months whether they had the actual procedure done, if you in fact did not have it done what was done to your stoma/ pouch to start up your weight loss? Is it just a ploy to see if your weight gain or loss is a head thing?

Everyone is put under anesthesia whether or not they get the procedure, but the ones who get the sham just get the endoscopy and have their pouches and stomas measured again.  I came across this information and maybe it will help explain why companies use placebos.

The placebo has several benefits.

1. A placebo provides a greater degree of objectivity in measurements that otherwise might be perceived as subjective.
2. A placebo provides protection against possible subconscious desires of the patient to please the researcher.
3. A placebo controls for attitudes of the patient and/or doctor that might influence the outcome of the study.
4. A placebo provides some level of protection against fraud when a patient and/or doctor has a financial or non-financial incentive to demonstrate a particular finding