AI ASSISTED: INTERESTING CONCEPTS SERIES
The Placebo Effect
Trust me I’m a Doctor
The placebo effect is a remarkable phenomenon in which the body shows physiological and psychological changes in response to an inert substance or fake treatment. It has long been used for research purposes, as well as in medical treatments, but its exact mechanism remains a mystery.
The placebo effect was first identified by Dr. Henry K. Beecher, who conducted a study of World War II soldiers who were injured in battle. He found that those given placebos instead of medication reported experiencing similar levels of pain relief as those who had taken actual drugs. This led to the understanding that the belief of being treated could be just as powerful as actual treatment itself.
Since Beecher’s findings, numerous studies have demonstrated the power of the placebo effect across multiple areas including anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s disease and more recently cancer treatments. The exact way it works is not fully understood but it appears to involve a combination of biological and psychological processes with expectations playing a key role.
Expectations are crucial for activating the body’s natural healing systems through biochemical pathways known as endogenous opioids which act on opioid receptors in…
