The placebo theory...

I heard about an experiment,about testing medicine and stuff and i found it quite interesing.Scietists gave the original medicine to 50 people,and to the other 50 they gave a fake one(a placebo).It appeared that even those that had taken a placebo, had healed somehow.I think that people,thinking that they had taken medicine,hoped to become better.So they were far more optimistic.But still,does it mean that through psychology our body creates some kind of antibodies...?

 

becuz they thot they were getting cured is why they got better. studies have shown that a person's emotional state is linked to their health. if they are depressed, their immune systems will be significantly weaker thus making them worse. but happy people have a stronger immune system. so i guess the placebo gives them hope, makes them happy, then strengthens their immune system?

 

I remember studying about this xD

One of the theories about it is that maybe illness is partially psychological. The people taking the Placebo pill believed they were taking the real thing, because they believed that, their mind allowed them to believe they were going to get better. The belief gave them hope which made them feel better.

Hmm raises a question about the power of faith though doesn't it. ​

 

I have always been lost on this subject.

xD

 

I've heard about this subject once or twice. I think it's mostly through the power of suggestion (not hypnosis, but believing it will work). If you're sure it's working, your brain and body works with, as opposed to if they're working against each other, then you'll have problems.

Actually, some surgeons have used hypnosis as a substitute for anesthesia for some of their operations so the patient can't feel pain or be awake during the surgery.

 

Placebos are often used alongside test drugs and with good reasons. If someone can be 'healed' with a placebo, then the condition probably isn't as serious as thought and they can work on some other drugs for patients that have different mind frames. Also, it tests if the drug people are being given that isn't a placebo is worth it in the first place and is doing anything productive or not. It is also a way to monitor side-effects because if someone is given a placebo and told the side effects of the 'drug' and they get them, this is also a psychological thing to realize. It is a very interesting thing to study and see the power of the mind and how it can benefit us or be used against us and placebos show some interesting results.

 

It can also be used to test for hypochondriacs i.e. people whose illness is solely in their head. People can feel sick because they are sad or depressed and then when they are told something they are being given will make them feel better.

But there was recent research that showed that state of mind had no effect on certain types of cancer. Sigh, and I can't find the BBC news article >_>

 

Well,i'm not talking about something as fatal as cancer.But someone's productivity can climax if he is at perfect condition.So i'm with what ctr said.Is faith such an important thing in our lives?

 

It can be. Faith and hope are both hmanities greatest strengths and weaknesses. Faith and hope can get us through the toughest situations, even if the faith or hope is false. But then again it can be dangerous. Hoping for a miracle can stop you from making an important decision and blind faith can damage you.

 

That's a very good point, for example the people who refuse to go see a doctor when something is wrong because they "believe" they will get better without going.

Faith and belief can help make us stronger, the power of the mind is incredible and farf rom fully understood. Yet it can also be our downfall, causing us to be too unconcerned when we really should be paying more attention.​

 

Hmm...So now we are talking about the strength of the mind...Interesting...I remember reading somewhere that people only use 1/10 of their brain,thus not fulfilling its full potential.Just think of what someone could do after achieving 10/10...

 

We use 100% of our brains, but to only 10% capacity (roughly).

The power of placebos comes from the power of the mind. They have no physical effect, IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD D:

 

I have heard similar, isn't that why they think that some people have "abilities" because they have unlocked part of their mind that we don't normally use?
It is daunting to think of what we could achieve if we could acess the unused parts.


If people CAN become better by the power of suggestion, then maybe, unlocking that part of our mind, could have even greater benefits?​

 

Well sure,that's right.But if you consider it carefully,why don't we all have the same abilities...?I mean,since we have the same brain(by that i mean its structure) why are we all that different?

 

It is because different experiences change the structrue, for example each time you learn something new it leaves a physical mark on your brain, meaning that though we all start with the same structure, our lives and abilities shape it so that everyone has a completely unique brain. That is what I was taught anyway :P ​

 

We all have the same basic structure but as we grow and develop the neurons in your brain form new and unique connections. These connections are affected by our experiences, both good and bad.

 

So the environmnt we live in,more like ou everyday life plays a role!Interesting...

 

We use 100% of our brain (every last bit of it functions at its peak, unless damaged later in life of from birth) it's only a simple matter of breaking down the structure as a whole to see what is able to do what. We have rough ideas but we're still unsure on a a great deal of things when it comes to the workings of the brain. interesting enough though the myth about only using 10% of our brains comes from neurological studies involving the damaging of animal brains. The conclusion that was found in this was that even when 90% of an animals brain is damaged it can still perform basic functions.

As for for neuronal connections, it's as Bunterx said. We all have the basic genetic design for our brain, that not only defines structure and initial structures but the potential we can achieve with it. but the environment plays a factor in a large amout of our neurological development; nature and nurture aren't at odds they're working together.

With regards to the placebo effect, it's often used as a method of control in a number of experiments, especially those of the clinical variety. Because experiments are an interesting thing there are certain characteristics within them that can affect those participating. for example if you tell people that you're giving them a pill that will increase heart rate they will often perceive such a change even if the pill actually does nothing (it's a placebo). Researchers use it a lot to compare the actual physiological effects of a real drug to the mentally suggested placebo to ensure that there really is a change.

 

actually, we only use about 5-10% of our brain. the sevonts are using abot 20-30% and the geniuses are using 15-20% we probably have the information of the universe stored in there, we just have to get it out. i cant believe i just typed all that. it came from the mouth/brain of a yr 9 student.