Many think of placebo as an inactive substance used in clinical trials or to fool someone, but placebo means far more than that, as the neurobiology of placebos is becoming increasingly understood. The opposite can also be true: harm can also come from the use of inactive substances, known as “nocebos.” One example of a “nocebo” is what is termed Voodoo death, aka “psychogenic death” or “psychosomatic death.” Dr. Mark W Green, Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai, talks about the fascinating history and science of the placebo, the nocebo, and “voodoo death.”