Placebo Effect

Nowadays, it is a generally acknowledged fact that most doctors prescribe or use placebo with or without patient’s consent in order to improve the outcome of the treatment. A placebo is a medically inert treatment or substance that is meant to deceive the patient so that a physical relief of symptoms and enhancement in the patient’s medical condition can be observed. Throughout the history, placebo has always been approached with apprehension and suspicion.(Horizon) It is quite a controversial subject in medicine but recent research shows that there is more to placebo than the stereotypes and the myths let on. Placebo is an effective way of treatment because the psycological expectancy and conditioning can induce a “biochemical response”(Horizon) in the body which ameliorates the patient’s health condition.

A placebo is a medically inert or inactive substance that brings about real chemical reactions in our body. The patient’s attitude, belief and understanding of the treatment is crucial for a positive outcome. This “altered perception” causes a “complex web of psychological effects surrounding medical treatment”.(Hall) So that this triggers analgesics in the body that occur naturally and cause a reduction in pain. It is called “placebo effect” when a real progress or pain relief is observed.(Kennedy institute) In terms of evolution, it is a significant step to see how human body can cure itself. (Kennedy institute)

Placebo is generally used for the two following objectives: for clinical treatment or medical research. Medical research means that when a new medicine is produced it has to outperform a placebo pill at least in two trials before being approved by Food and Drug Administration(FDA). (youtube stuff) In clinical care,...

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...placebo is more than a psycological illusion. It’s working mechanism is stil not entirely known and the researches about it are stil relatively new but it gives a great deal of information about the mind and body relationship. It also shows that when patients’ minds are truly channelized towards a goal or idea it can overcome the body, the pain in this case. Placebo has always been there starting from the earliest times of medicine and it will be there in the future. Rather than throwing it aside as useless scientists should find ways to make the most of it and learn as much about human mind and body as possible. How can better results be achieved by placebo? Why does different people respond differently to the experiment while others don’t respond at all? The scientists have a long way to go in order to answer these questions. But one thing is for sure: It is real.