The Mysterious Power of the Placebo Effect

The placebo effect is often thought of by the medical community as a cure in the mind.

There are many things that defy logic in the world of medicine and the placebo effect is one of them. For those unfamiliar with this term, a placebo is defined as an “inactive substance or procedure used as a control in an experiment.” The placebo effect then is the “measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health not attributable to an actual treatment.”

In other words, a patient is not receiving a form of treatment but believes that they are. The power of this belief then helps them to get better. The placebo effect points to the amazing strength that the mind holds. The expectations and beliefs of a given patient can have a significant effect on the person’s illness. The placebo effect is very real and very much alive- even when a supposed treatment is just that- a sham. It is hard to imagine but time and time again there are patients who have borne out this reality in clinical trials and in terms of real time sicknesses.

Despite the reality of the placebo effect, it continues to perplex (and intrigue) the medical community. And why shouldn’t it when there is no rational reason why it should happen in the first place?!

The latest research points to the conclusion that the placebo effect does not always come from a deep belief that a given treatment will work. Instead, it is more likely to occur because the patient makes an association in their mind between their recovery and the entire doctor-patient healing experience. This is a form of subliminal conditioning that can rein supreme over the physical and can work on the release of hormones in the body and responses from the immune system.

If the placebo effect sounds fascinating to you then imagine what it says to researchers who are constantly making headway in learning more about how the human brain works. Researchers have unraveled some of the mystery that surrounds the placebo effect and have shown how it is related to processes that take place in the brain in the most active of areas.

The placebo effect has been around in one form or another since the 18th century, however the very first double- blind controlled trial demonstrating how the placebo effect works was conducted in 1907.

In modern day many medical investigators have considered the placebo effect to be nothing more than an annoyance that interferes with their work. On the other hand, a plethora of biologists, behavioral  and social scientists, as well as psychologists see the placebo effect as a key to a door that provides insight into the brain and how it can control functions of the body to bring about healing.

If you wish to explore this subject further and want to learn about studies that have looked closely at the placebo effect, then this article will be of interest to you- http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=placebo-effect-a-cure-in-the-mind&print=true

Samantha