You don't
know the answer? I don't know either, but the placebo definitely seems to work.
The Placebo Effect is a phenomenon that is many decades old. Sadly, it has also
been frequently abused by many people, from charlatans to health care
professionals. I like to look at this from an alternative medicine perspective:
as long as the treatment is effective, who cares if it is a placebo?
If you don't
remember what a placebo effect actually is, I'll remind you. Simply put, a
placebo effect is the term that describes the therapeutic and healing effects
of inert medicines -"drugs" that have no active chemical substances.
A placebo effect is healing based solely on the power of suggestion, not on the
action of an active chemical substance. A placebo, sometimes called a
"sugar pill", is made to look like a "real drug" and
provokes therapeutic effects when administered, despite its lack of any type of
active substance.
But, please,
don't fool yourself. It's not enough to take a "sugar pill" and
expect a placebo effect. No, you also need the suggestion, from an authority
figure, that the pill will aid in healing. Someone who can make you believes in
it. The important point is not the pill; it is the suggestions and
expectations. You need to trust in the authority first, and then to accept that
"the pill" will help you. Belief, motivation, and expectation are
essential to the placebo effect.
What is the
belief? The belief is that you have the ability to make something happen. This
belief in one's competence for recovery is a very strong predictor for
recovering from any disease. There is a popular saying that the efficacy of the
treatment depends, not so much on the physician's expertise, but rather on the
physician's altruism and compassion. The placebo effect plays a role in the
compassion, not in the expertise.
What does
placebo stand for, anyway? Interestingly, it stands for the Latin phrase:
"I will please". One explanation says that everything started when
someone came for a treatment which did not exist, but the doctor wanted to
please the patient. So he gave the patient something that he knew was
ineffective, but claimed that it was effective in treatment. Obviously, this
doctor was someone very well aware of the mind /body connection and the effects
of the positive thinking. The doctor knew: I need to convince my patient of the
therapy's effectiveness. I need to play with the patient's mental state and his
or her ability to get well. He knew that the patient would only "feel
better" but would not be healthier.
The triumph
of mind and belief over body? Yes, and scientists are aware of the power of
mind over body. If patients believe in a treatment, they can improve their
medical condition. What science says is: beliefs, suggestibility and hopes
about treatment may play on biochemistry of our bodies. We know that thoughts
can affect brain neurochemistry, and that the human neurochemical system is
affected by other biochemical systems (hormonal/immune). We are our thoughts.
What we need to learn from all these explanations is: sensory experience and
thoughts can affect neurochemistry. Positive thinking can elicit real
neurochemical responses in the body.
The next
time you have a health issue; remember that your hopeful attitude and beliefs
may be very important to your recovery from injury or illness. Optimism,
positive thinking, a hopeful attitude and unconditional belief, are all very
important parts of your body's fight against illness. There is no mystery:
positive thinking works! Now we know. The ability of the mind to produce
healing changes depends on emotional states, and can influence physical health
for better or worse.
Can you
believe that 50 percent of a drug's effects are due to the placebo response?
You don't need trust me; trust Sapirstein, who analyzed 39 studies, done
between 1974 and 1995, of depressed patients treated with drugs, psychotherapy,
or a combination of both. He found that 50 percent of the drug effect was due
to the placebo response. Yet, there are too many studies that have found
objective improvements in health from placebos to support the notion that the
placebo effect is entirely psychological. The placebo effect is a healing
process, not just a curing one. Healing transforms both body and mind on a deep
level. We are driven by our minds, by thought, by expectations.
Unfortunately,
we are also driven by fear and false expectations. As a sick person, a patient
begs for understanding and compassion, "asking" for a similar
response from medical personnel. Therefore, teachers teach our health care
professionals to show attention, care, affection, and hope when they are
treating a sick person. As patients, we need to trust in our own ability for
recovery, in any given therapy, medication or procedure and, most importantly,
in our health therapists. Even just being in the healing situation accomplishes
something.
If you have
any ethical concerns, such as "with placebos, we are selling false hope
and magical cures for all illness" you don't need to worry. There are
various unobservable processes that allegedly carry out all sorts of magical
analgesic and curative functions, in the same manner as "sugar pills".
Many skeptics will reject faith, hope, belief or even alternative medical
practices such as homeopathy. We know that they may not cure cancer, but by
giving hope and relieving distress, placebos can provide some measure of
comfort. Giving some comfort in a totally uncomfortable situation is one more
reason to support the statement:" What difference does it make why
something works, as long as it seems to work? "
As always
we, as human society, need to be critical in our approach to the placebo. We
don't want to see the placebo as an open door to quackery, nor for big
unethical business. Our intention is to protect innocent people from
charlatans, leaving open the door to alternative treatments.
Jahiel Yasha
Kamhi
jasakamhi@hotmail.com
Jahiel-Yasha-Kamhi
holds a degree in Medical Biochemistry and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry.
Jahiel is passionate about writing and conveying positive messages that help
people live with passion and purpose. His mission is to promote mental and
physical well-being. Jahiel's core message is one of hope, inspiration, and
encouragement. Being thankful for what is good in life rather than focusing on
the negative is his message. He believes with hope, all things are possible.
Jahiel writes regularly for the Personal-Development.com and magazines. He also
delivers presentations that inspire others to find more meaning and balance in
their lives.
