ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2003) — It’s true that some people who participate in research studies and take inactive medications called placebos do see health improvements. People taking placebos have experienced reduced pain, healed ulcers, eased nausea and even warts disappeared.

The January issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource details several theories on how the placebo effect might work:

Benefit from attention: In a placebo-controlled research study, patients often have frequent and intensive medical attention. Some people respond favorably.

Stimulus response: People may have a trained positive response to taking a pill or receiving treatment, whether it’s real or not.

Beliefs or expectations, including the meaning you attach to a treatment: A person with positive expectations of the treatment may experience the placebo effect more than someone with lower expectations.

Relationship with your doctor: A person whose doctor is supportive and positive may experience more benefit from a placebo -- or the standard treatment -- than someone who doesn’t have that relationship.

Pleasing your doctor: You feel better because -- consciously or unconsciously -- you want to show your doctor that you’re a good patient and you appreciate the care.

Probably a combination of many psychological and physiological mechanisms are at work. Research studies and theories hold important clues to solve the mystery behind the placebo effect, but more research is needed to examine how these factors interplay to produce this healing force.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mayo Clinic.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Related Stories

Placebos Work -- Even Without Deception (Dec. 23, 2010) — Patients who were knowingly given placebos for irritable bowel syndrome experienced significant symptom relief when compared with controls who were given ...  > read more

Placebos and Distraction: New Study Shows How to Boost the Power of Pain Relief, Without Drugs (Feb. 3, 2012) — Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction -- say, doing a puzzle -- relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain processes? Neuromaging suggests ...  > read more

Internists Say They Prescribe Placebos On Occasion (Jan. 4, 2008) — In the first study examining American physicians' use of placebos in clinical practice in the 21st century, 45 percent of Chicago internists report they have used a placebo at some time during their ...  > read more

Power of Placebos: Canadian Psychiatrists More Ready Than Other Physicians to Acknowledge the Benefits of Placebos, Survey Shows (May 13, 2011) — They may be uncomfortable talking about it, but it's definitely going on. A recent survey reports that one in five respondents -- physicians and psychiatrists in Canadian medical schools -- have ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily