Placebo Effect

[Latios]

Like the title said, what is the Placebo Effect? Can it really physically heal a disease, or is it healing a disease by thinking positively about getting better?

 

And did I put this thread in the right place? If not, please move it to the right place.

[swansont]

Like the title said' date=' what is the Placebo Effect? Can it really physically heal a disease, or is it healing a disease by thinking positively about getting better?

[/quote']

 

It's the effect that thinking you are getting treatment makes you better. It's probably a combination of things, including positive thinking. As far as really physically healing, the placebo effect is more effective for some maladies and less effective for others. It's not too surprising (to me, anyway) that the placebo effect is huge for psychological problems like depression. But it's a lot smaller for other things.

[Latios]

Hmmm...... Perhaps one can maximize the effect of Placebo Effect.... Could this effect be paraphased as: One can do anything if one believes?

 

If it can, then I should be able to finally move my feet behind my head!

 

Just a crazy thought......

[fafalone]

No. The placebo effect is completely irrelevant for symptoms that are not psychlogically oriented.

[Kevin Conti]

No. The placebo effect is completely irrelevant for symptoms that are not psychlogically oriented.

 

This is not true, the mind is the controller of the physiological system and thought power can greatly influence how the physical system operates. I have referred to psychoimmunology before and essentially the area of specialism focuses on the effect of the mind on the immune system. Adding to that, studies with place groups show that they are likely to have physical side effects if told prior to the issuing of the placebo.

 

How does the placebo work then? From the top of my head here and the current views on it. Firstly, proponents of classical conditioning may say that it results from involuntarily associative learning, where a past drug (UCS) results in positive effects (UCR). However, the placebo drug at a later date may act as a CS seeing that is is generalised as a help mechanism, and the response is the effects of the drug.

 

In addition, placebo's are more likely to work on individuals who are easily stressed and anxious. it could be that the mock pill invokes a sense of relaxation, which is the causal effect for the subjective reportings of the effectiveness of it.

 

However, but crucially the real reason behind placebo's that i advocate is that it is down to endorphins. That is, the bodies natural feel good pain killers that share a similar chemical form to opiods like heroin. Specifically, studies have shown that when a endorphin antagonist is used in the placebo drug, the placebo effect is non existent. This i feel is conclusive proof that endorphins have a significant role to play in the workings of the phenomena. In terms of how endorphins may affect the physical system, they act as a pain killer so obviously have an adapative value in times of injury and survival.

 

But i think placebos, at least in the form of the drug version, is not the thing you want to be looking at. You want to be studying into the collective field that governs it and find out how the power of thought has a monumental effect on the physical system, and how thinking positiively etc can promote greater health and longer living.

[fafalone]

Your post still only speaks to psychologically-oriented effects.

 

Example of cases that I'm referring to: Placebo chemotherapy will never result in the cancer being eliminated (though it sometimes would go away in such a study, a relation would need to be made to a control group to determine if that percentage is higher...)

[Kevin Conti]

I would not be so sure, they reckon they the origin of medical miracles have an orign in psychoimmunological thoughts. In one example, i read of an individual who was cured of an illness based on his positive thinking.

[Sayonara]

That's not a great sample group, compared to the tens of thousands of people cancer kills regardless of their disposition.

[YT2095]

have you ever tried halucinogenic or psychoactive drugs or do you know anyone that has? and been taking it for a while and then suddenly one day they have a major "Bad Trip"?

the drug was the same but the experience wasn`t! why is that?

well it`s partly the placebo effect, nothing at all changed with regards to the Drug/Medicine, and yet the same person has 2 totaly different effects from it on different occasions.

Why... because the mindset is different

that effect can be exploited for the Good of the patient where the illness is psychologicaly based also. we do alot of the damage to ourselves and allow alot of things to DO US damage without realising it! BUT, by the same token, we can also do alot of good for ourselves and others also

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I agree with Fafalone. It's kind of like saying that fixing a "sublexation" will cure an ear infection. The immune system is pretty much automatic, so you cannot control the immune system easily. I think placebos just fool you, they actually will not remove a disease entirely, just the symptoms.

[Kevin Conti]

No need for your sarcastic way of putting it, but am going with the evidence that i've came accross to specifically answer the question the guy asked. I am the authors of the research.

[Sayonara]

Who are you talking to?

[Kevin Conti]

Obviously not you, Cap..

[Guest Jaeke Inopre]

I don't think it neccessarily matters what you take. When I have a headache, I take Bayer and have instant(within 1 second) relief, because I believe that the aspirin stops the headache.

[badchad]

Heres another way to think of it. Stress and emotion can affect the immune system. Have you ever been extremely stressed for a big exam/presentation, etc.; and then gotten sick afterwards? It's a "mind body connection". If I'm not mistaken I believe all drugs much go through a placebo controlled trial before being approved by the FDA for this exact reason.