placebo
Musings on the mind-body connection
Have you ever noticed how your face turns all red when you’re feeling a bit…
Woo-woo to true-woo
There’s a dictionary definition of woo-woo. It goes like this: “Unconventional beliefs regarded as having…
Does a placebo work if you know it’s a placebo?
Patients receiving ‘open label placebos’ had reduced pain compared with those who received ‘treatment as usual’. When the latter group were then offered placebos to supplement their usual treatment, their pain also then reduced.
The nocebo effect
Positive expectations drive the placebo effect, whereas negative expectations drive the nocebo effect. In both cases, the brain simply does what it can to meet these expectations.