Placebos, as it turns out, are actually quite effective in some cases. Image: Shutterstock |
In traditional research, placebos are used to allow
researchers to objectively determine whether their methods and treatments are
effective. Using a placebo ensures that the results are pure and unbiased. But
lately the studies have switched from using placebos as the “no result”
medicine to the treatment in question.
And those studies are finding that placebos are, in fact,
very effective. Researchers argue that this is because rather than providing
the active ingredients, they instead give the patient hope and therefore the
brainpower to trick the body into feeling better. And it’s a method that has
been used by doctors and specialists for years. There isn’t always a treatment available,
and sometimes the simple prescription for vitamins or otherwise common system
boosters can help.
The dominant theory with placebos is that patients want to
feel better, or think they should feel better—so they do. But neuroscientists
these days are interested in finding out more about the actual neural pathways
that contribute to the placebo effect.
Bendetti says the real placebo effect is actual psychobiological phenomena in the brain. Image: Shutterstock |
But there is still much research to be done. Patients
sometimes respond differently to different placebo treatments and some patients
seem to be “immune” to placebo treatment altogether. And some diseases and
illnesses don’t seem to be affected at all, such as Alzheimer’s. On the other
hand, Parkinson’s patients are generally very receptive to placebos.
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