Anthony J. Lembo, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, MA

Anthony J. Lembo, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as the Director of the GI Motility Laboratory at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Division of Gastroenterology in Boston, MA.

Dr. Lembo earned his undergraduate degree in Mathematics at Amherst College in Amherst, MA and then received his MD from Tufts Medical School in Boston, MA. He subsequently completed his Internal Medicine Internship/Residency as well as Gastroenterology Fellowship at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. After completing his Fellowship he joined the faculty at UCLA Medical Center where he was Co-Director of the FBD and GI Motility Center. In 1997 he joined the faculty at BIDMC.

His research interests include functional bowel disorders such as IBS, chronic constipation, and dyspepsia. His research interests also include studying the role of placebo in functional bowel disorders.

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 Harnessing Placebo Effects: Non-Deceptive Use of Placebo in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Purpose : Irritable bowel syndrome patients will be given either placebo pill or no treatment for a period of 3 weeks.

Detailed Description: Seventy patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) will be randomized to either 1) placebo pill or 2) no treatment and followed for 3 weeks. The study will involve three visits: baseline, midpoint and end point. At baseline all patients will physical examination, be evaluated for IBS and be administered standardized IBS questionnaires including: "IBS adequate relief" questionnaire, IBS global symptom improvement scale, IBS quality of life and IBS symptom severity scale. At midpoint and endpoint the same questionnaires will be administered. Patients on no treatment will be offered education on managing IBS at the end of the study.

Eligibility
Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 80 Years
Genders Eligible for Study: Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No