What Is the Placebo Effect and Why does it Work?

Many people have heard the term placebo effect as it relates to treatments or medications, but do you know exactly what it means? It is a fascinating study of how the mind can influence healing of the body. As such, it provides useful information to doctors and scientists and can also provide the insight that many people seek in order to better understand treatments for their health issues.

In medicine and pharmacology, the term placebo generally refers to any medication that is inert. This means that the placebo treatment is not meant to cure anything nor does it contain any ingredients that are designed to treat the illness. Placebos are typically used for control groups in studies when it is necessary to compare how patients that are not actually receiving any real medication react, when they believe that they are. This allows the medical professionals conducting the study to observe the effect of the power of suggestion vs. actual medication. If there was no such thing as a psychological reaction, patients receiving placebos would never show improvement. In actual studies, however, many patients actually do show improvement. This improvement results from the patient's psychological belief that they received real medication and is called the placebo effect.

In these studies, the control group of patients who are given the placebo are never told that they are not receiving the medication being studied. In many cases, the scientists conducting the study also do not know which patients have received medication and which ones have received the placebo.

When the researchers compare the results of their treatments, the effect of the real medication vs. the placebos is measured. When patients who only received placebos demonstrate measurable improvement it is actually an indication of the fact that psychological belief has a real and positive effect. It underscores the very-real value of alternative living and lifestyle modifications before pharmacological intervention.

The fact that the placebo effect exists at all, underscores the wisdom of treatments beside medications for many conditions. For example, a different diet or physical therapy, often prove to be very effective treatments. More and more doctors and scientists now admit that the human mind (psychological belief in a treatment) can be workable, less costly alternatives to pharmacological intervention. Moreover, alternative treatments usually have fewer or no side effects and contraindications, since they support the natural healing powers of the human body without introducing chemicals into the mix.

When performing tests on new medications, there are a variety of factors that appear to cause the placebo to have a positive effect on the patient. If the pill looks genuine to the patients, they will tend to believe that the medication is going to have a positive effect on their illness or condition. The doctor that prescribes the placebo is often part of the reason for the placebo effect as well. For instance, if the patient believes that the doctor is doing everything in his or her power to cure their illness or condition, the placebo may have a positive effect. Patients with a positive attitude are also more likely to have an effect from a placebo.

Some of the reasons that have been used to explain the placebo effect are the renewed sense of well being of the patient which, in turn, causes them to be in a better frame of mind to care for themselves. When some patients believe that they are receiving a medication that will improve their health, they are more motivated to care about their diet and physical health. Thus, the positive change in their health is due to their psychological beliefs and not the placebo.

Many people believe that the reason that a placebo works in a positive manner is the mind-body connection. When a person believes they are getting well, the mind is in control of the health of the body. There is a great deal of literature on the power of positive thinking and how it can have a profound effect on your health. When you believe that you are working toward restoring your health, you are in a better frame of mind. This change in attitude permits the mind to help the body heal.

One area that is under scrutiny for an explanation of the placebo effect is the relief of anxiety. A patient that believes they are being treated is likely to be relieved of the stress that they were under before treatment began. It is this stress relief that many people believe explains the placebo effect. The power of positive thinking is intertwined with this particular train of thought.

Whatever the reasons underlying the placebo effect, there is no longer any doubt that it does occur. And perhaps most important, the very fact that it does, validates many popular, non-pharmacological approaches to improving and maintaining good health.

The benefit that science has gained from understanding the placebo effect is primarily the power of positive thinking along with a better understanding of the mind-body connection. In most circumstances, doctors rarely prescribe placebos for patients. They are used mainly in controlled tests of new medications.

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