Many of us have heard of placebos and the Placebo Effect. But how many know how it should work and whether it is effective? The placebo dates back to the 1700s when doctors began noticing some ailments, and patients improved even when the medication given was known to have no real power to heal. Today, the placebo effect is better understood and used in various scenarios.
One of these is in medical and pharmaceutical research. When volunteers are given a new drug to assess its effectiveness, one half is usually given the medication, whilst the other half is given one which looks the same but has no active ingredients to make any difference. Neither group knows which one it is taking, which also applies to the medical team conducting the research. This is known as a double-blind test and ensures that there can be no outside influence on the drug trials.
Over the years, it has been shown that in some trials, the patients taking the placebo have improved signalled an improvement in their condition or symptoms. One famous example of this was when Viagra was undergoing medical trials. It is a medication intended to help with erectile dysfunction. When the results were published, it was found that 70% of the people taking the real drug indicated an improvement in their condition. But, in addition, 25% of the patients taking the placebo also said there had been an improvement.
The question of why a placebo can have this effect on certain conditions has been asked for many years but has still not been answered fully. One of the likely reasons is that it can show a positive effect if there is a psychological component to the presenting condition.
This makes a lot of sense because we know that the mind-body connection exists and can have a positive or negative effect on us depending on a number of factors. This can include changes in the physical effects as well as the psychological effects on the person. This should be thought to perhaps be due to the production of the chemical dopamine in the brain. This is known as the “feel-good” substance and it can have a positive effect on how we feel. One symptom it can help with is perhaps lowering the effects felt of pain.
But this is not the whole answer. Some patients have reported feeling better after speaking to a doctor. Of course, it depends on the condition, so always see your medical practitioner if you feel unwell. Some years ago, a trial was undertaken where the patients were told that they were taking the placebo which had no power to affect their condition. However, a number of them still reported an improvement in their condition and symptoms. This raises some more interesting questions for which we do not have all the answers yet.
John Pullen 