Placebos

[poliphilo]

I watched a programme about placebos last night. It seems they work by getting the brain to release the appropriate chemicals. And the thing that triggers the response is the patient's faith in the procedure and the practitioner. Faith in the practitioner operates even if and when the patient knows they're getting a sugar-pill. The better the doctor's bedside manner the deeper the faith.

The programme didn't go any further than this but it looks as if we're well on the way to understanding the efficacy of faith-healing and Bach's flower remedies.

Comments

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

From reading, and confirmation by a smack addict, I understand that when all else fails, withdrawal symptoms can be tempered by mixing up and injecting...just water. Going through the ritual can calm the cravings.

However, it doesn't keep working.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Scientists are still working out how they can use the placebo effect. Obviously they can't just get rid of all the conventional medicines- or, then again perhaps they can. It's an exciting field of research.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I had to come off HRT before surgery back in the day and it caused me to climb the wall.

Someone recommended a homeopathic (which is largely placebo effect).

It worked...............

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And presumably you'll have known it was a placebo.

Fascinating, innit!

Oh, and big pills work better than little pills, and red pills are more effective than blue pills- except in Italy where the national team plays in blue.

[rosamicula.livejournal.com]

I think this is how religion works, especially at the loonier/more dangerous ends of the spectrum, like Haitian voodoo.

You can do something similar in education, too; if you tell someone they do have the ability to do a thing, they often will do it. This is whay I am so opposed to special provision for very low level learning 'disabilities', esp low level dyslexia. The disability label burdens them with a shackle. The confidence trick gives them a key.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We're only a step away from conceding or affirming that magic works.

[rosamicula.livejournal.com]

But then it won't be magic anymore!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Very true.

But somewhere along the line our conventional picture of the universe will have changed.