The Placebo Effect
Placebo is a medical intervention that works on the hope/expectancy of the subject. It involves giving the patient a sugar pill that has no effects what so ever.
The subject is not aware that the tablet is a fake.
The belief of the patient does have a therapeutic effect and the subject’s condition will improve.
In medicine, it has been observed that subject’s belief does indeed sometimes result in therapeutic effect and cause patient’s condition to improve.
Placebo treatment is widely practices in medicine, and it has been recognized to have clinically important effects. A placebo has been defined as a substance or any procedure that is given objectively without any specific activity for the condition being treated.
Indeed, wide variety of things can be considered placebo and do show placebo effect. These may include pharmacological substances like pills, inhalants, creams, injections or even medical devices such as ultrasound, surgery, acupuncture to name few.
“You will certainly be better in few days with this treatment”
And if the patient is given negative words like
“I am not sure that this treatment can work for you”
It negatively affects the recovery of patient.
How it Works?
The placebo effect has sometimes been defined as a physiological effect caused by the placebo, but Moerman and Jonas have pointed out that this seems illogical, as a placebo is an inert substance that does not directly cause anything. Instead they introduced the term "meaning response" for the meaning that the brain associates with the placebo, which causes a physiological placebo effect
The placebo effect phenomenon is related to the perception and expectations of the subject. If subject see it helpful, it can heal, and if viewed as harmful, it can cause negative effects or what is known as nocebo effect.
Both expectations and conditioning play an important role in placebo effect and make different kind of contribution.
Research suggests that for psychological reasons, some placebos are more effective than others. Large pills seem to work better than small pills, colored pills work better than white pills, an injection is more powerful than a pill, and surgery gives a stronger placebo effect than injections do. In one study, researchers found that response to placebo treatment was increased from 44% to 62% when the healthcare professional gave them warmth, attention, and confidence.
Conditioning on the other hand exerts long lasting effects and it seems to affect early stages of information processing. However, as placebo effect is based upon conditioning and expectations of the subject, the effect is seen to disappear if the subject is informed that his/her expectations are unrealistic, or that placebo treatment is completely ineffective.
Despite on-going controversy concerning use of placebo therapy, there are number of reports showing positive effects of placebo treatment. Placebo seems to work in alleviating pain, anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and even cancer.
Remarkable recovery of “Mr. X” from a deadly cancer is just an example of placebo treatment. Placebo effects seems not only be arise from conscious belief but also from subconscious associations between recovery and treatment as researchers has found that placebo effect does arise from active processes in brain.
Ethics
The placebo effect has been controversial throughout history. Notable medical organizations have endorsed it, but in 1903 Richard Cabot concluded that it should be avoided because it is deceptive. Newman points out the "placebo paradox", – it may be unethical to use a placebo, but also unethical "not to use something that heals". He suggests to solve this dilemma by appropriating the meaning response in medicine, that is make use of the placebo effect, as long as the "one administering… is honest, open, and believes in its potential healing power".
Placebo is a medical intervention that works on the hope/expectancy of the subject. It involves giving the patient a sugar pill that has no effects what so ever.
The subject is not aware that the tablet is a fake.
The belief of the patient does have a therapeutic effect and the subject’s condition will improve.
In medicine, it has been observed that subject’s belief does indeed sometimes result in therapeutic effect and cause patient’s condition to improve.
Placebo treatment is widely practices in medicine, and it has been recognized to have clinically important effects. A placebo has been defined as a substance or any procedure that is given objectively without any specific activity for the condition being treated.
Indeed, wide variety of things can be considered placebo and do show placebo effect. These may include pharmacological substances like pills, inhalants, creams, injections or even medical devices such as ultrasound, surgery, acupuncture to name few.
“You will certainly be better in few days with this treatment”
And if the patient is given negative words like
“I am not sure that this treatment can work for you”
It negatively affects the recovery of patient.
How it Works?
The placebo effect has sometimes been defined as a physiological effect caused by the placebo, but Moerman and Jonas have pointed out that this seems illogical, as a placebo is an inert substance that does not directly cause anything. Instead they introduced the term "meaning response" for the meaning that the brain associates with the placebo, which causes a physiological placebo effect
The placebo effect phenomenon is related to the perception and expectations of the subject. If subject see it helpful, it can heal, and if viewed as harmful, it can cause negative effects or what is known as nocebo effect.
Both expectations and conditioning play an important role in placebo effect and make different kind of contribution.
Research suggests that for psychological reasons, some placebos are more effective than others. Large pills seem to work better than small pills, colored pills work better than white pills, an injection is more powerful than a pill, and surgery gives a stronger placebo effect than injections do. In one study, researchers found that response to placebo treatment was increased from 44% to 62% when the healthcare professional gave them warmth, attention, and confidence.
Conditioning on the other hand exerts long lasting effects and it seems to affect early stages of information processing. However, as placebo effect is based upon conditioning and expectations of the subject, the effect is seen to disappear if the subject is informed that his/her expectations are unrealistic, or that placebo treatment is completely ineffective.
Despite on-going controversy concerning use of placebo therapy, there are number of reports showing positive effects of placebo treatment. Placebo seems to work in alleviating pain, anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and even cancer.
Remarkable recovery of “Mr. X” from a deadly cancer is just an example of placebo treatment. Placebo effects seems not only be arise from conscious belief but also from subconscious associations between recovery and treatment as researchers has found that placebo effect does arise from active processes in brain.
Ethics
The placebo effect has been controversial throughout history. Notable medical organizations have endorsed it, but in 1903 Richard Cabot concluded that it should be avoided because it is deceptive. Newman points out the "placebo paradox", – it may be unethical to use a placebo, but also unethical "not to use something that heals". He suggests to solve this dilemma by appropriating the meaning response in medicine, that is make use of the placebo effect, as long as the "one administering… is honest, open, and believes in its potential healing power".
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