View Full Version : Placebo Effect
easternbrain
10-01-2007, 07:03 PM
I am not sure if you guys have much heard of it. Well a placebo is like a medicine given to the patient which is completely not-related to the disease the person is having. In fact it might not be a medicine at all or it just might be just a pain-killer drug. By giving it to the patient he is made to believe that this drug has worked wonders for others and it will do the same for him. In this manner the patient gets the notion that he is in the process of recovering which he actually does - all because of his belief.
The other night on a news program there was a discussion of acupuncture, and it is believed that endorphins may be released when acupuncture needles are used. Endorphins play a role in reducing pain.
Archbob
10-05-2007, 05:44 AM
I have heard if this many times. The mindset of a patient is very important and perhaps more important than the drug itself in a treatment sometimes. If a patient believes he is getting the right treatment, then chances of survival or cure is far greater than if he doesn't believe he is getting the right treatment.
easternbrain
10-08-2007, 05:09 AM
Well there was an experiment conducted on 10 persons who had some problems related to their knees. Out of those 10 people a surgery was performed on 5 and rest 5 were given some mild anaesthetic drug and then a small cut was made on their knees and then stitched again to give it a look of having performed an operation.
Those five persons on whom operation was not performed recovered faster than those on whom operation was performed.
james
10-12-2007, 01:39 PM
I am not sure if you guys have much heard of it. Well a placebo is like a medicine given to the patient which is completely not-related to the disease the person is having. In fact it might not be a medicine at all or it just might be just a pain-killer drug. By giving it to the patient he is made to believe that this drug has worked wonders for others and it will do the same for him. In this manner the patient gets the notion that he is in the process of recovering which he actually does - all because of his belief.
Placebo effects work on both orthodox and alternative medicines. However I find it hard to see that accupuncture could have survived on placebo effects alone.