When I worked in the pharmaceutical industry, the placebo effect was frequently dismissed as ‘all in the mind’ or ‘psychosomatic’. It wasn’t a real improvement, it was believed, merely that people ‘think’ they’re feeling better. This was conventional wisdom at that time and is still a widely held belief today. When a mother kisses a […]
placebo effect
Can your brain learn to respond to a placebo?
Imagine how much money the NHS or medical insurance companies would save if we could swap some of our drugs for placebos after a few days of taking them? As far as some exciting new research is concerned, it certainly seems to be a possibility. A placebo is an empty pill; that much most people […]
The Amazing Power of the Placebo
Nearly everyone has experienced a placebo effect! The fact that you take a medicine tells me that on some level you must believe in it or expect it to work, or you believe in the doctor who prescribed it, or even in the improvement you’ve heard about in other people. This belief, or expectation, activates […]