The thinking in this article is sloppy, and leads to confusion. Read this clear and careful article from Vox instead: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/7/15792188/placebo-effect-explained

The Vox article addresses the same topics, but the writing is cogent and thorough. A key quote:

A 2010 systematic review looked at 202 drug trials where a placebo group was compared to patients who received neither placebo nor active drug. And it found that placebos seem to move the needle on pain, nausea, asthma, and phobias, with more inconsistent results for outcomes like smoking, dementia, depression*, obesity, hypertension, insomnia, and anxiety. (*Separate literature review on depression meds does find an effect of placebo compared with no treatment.)

Placebos won’t cure cancer, but they definitely affect pain. Aside from the above quote, the Vox article has much more detail that helps the reader understand the landscape of placebos and the associated research.

I’m sad to say I’ve come to expect this kind of exaggeration for the sake of increasing readership from The Mission. It’s super lame.