A placebo is a sugar pill, a harmless injection or an empty capsule. Although there is no medicine in them, these things seem to make people recover. The patient thought it was medicine and began to get better. How did this happen? & ltp & gt
The study of placebo has opened up new knowledge about the way the human body heals itself. It seems that each of us has a doctor. If we allow it, the "doctor" will heal us. & ltp & gt
But it is not known how placebos can cure the body. Some people say that this is because the human brain deceives itself. These people say that if the mind is fooled into thinking that it has got the medicine, then it will act as if it has got the medicine and the body will feel better. & ltp & gt
Others say this is not the case. They say placebos make the wish for improvement come true. If the patient knows that this is a placebo, the placebo will not work. This shows that the body is not fooled by it. It seems that the patient thinks that given the medicine, there is hope. They feel that they have got some help. This makes them more willing to get better, which helps to cure them. & ltp & gt
Placebos are not always effective. The success of this treatment seems to depend largely on the relationship between patients and doctors. If the patient trusts the doctor very much, if the doctor really wants to help the patient, then the placebo is more likely to work. So to some extent, doctors are the most powerful placebos. & ltp & gt
Examples of the role of doctors in making placebos work can be seen in this study. Some patients with hemorrhagic ulcer were divided into two groups. A doctor told the first group that they had got a new medicine, hoping it would relieve their pain. A nurse told the second group that they had got a new drug, but they didn't know how it worked. As a result, 70% of the people in the first group became much better. Only 25% people in the second group got better. In fact, both groups took the same thing, placebo. & ltp & gt
Placebos have been found to be effective in many different cases. It is helpful for seasickness, cough, cold and even postoperative pain. There is an experiment to see if placebos can help the elderly to stay healthy and live longer. & ltp & gt
The test was conducted in Romania, and a total of 150 people over 60 took part. They were divided into three groups, each with 50 people. We got nothing in the first group. The second group took a placebo. The third group took a real drug and was told that it would help solve the problem of old age. (In fact, it is not a drug for the elderly at all. ) These three groups have been studied for many years. There is no change between the first group and the old people in that village. The second group (taking placebo) had better health and lower mortality. The third group (using real drugs) showed almost the same results as the group taking placebo. & ltp & gt
Placebos can also have adverse effects. If patients expect adverse reactions to drugs, they will also have adverse reactions to placebos. It seems that many of your reactions to drugs are in your mind, not in your body. Some doctors still believe that placebos should not be used if they have bad effects. They don't think they know enough about it. & ltp & gt
1 1 However, the use of placebos has been widely known in other countries for hundreds of years. Tribal doctors in some African countries have long known that if patients think they will get better, they will get better. Many of the "therapies" they use don't seem to make the patients better, but they do work. & ltp & gt
The peculiar efficacy of placebo does seem to show that human will is stronger than we thought. Some people say that you can control your body with your mind. Interestingly, even those who swore it was impossible were cured by placebos.