The placebo effect is a phenomenon where a persons physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a placebo or dummy treatment. Placebos are treatments that appear real but are designed to have no therapeutic benefit. They can be a sugar pill, a saline injection, or even a fake surgical procedure. The placebo effect is triggered by the persons belief in the benefit from the treatment and their expectation of feeling better, rather than the characteristics of the placebo.
The placebo effect can have several benefits, including:
- Reduced anxiety: Taking the placebo and expecting to feel better may be soothing and reduce the levels of stress chemicals the body produces, such as adrenaline.
- Brain chemicals: Placebos may trigger the release of the bodys own natural pain relievers, the brain chemicals known as endorphins.
- Altered brain state: Research indicates that the brain responds to an imagined scene in much the same way as it responds to an actual visualized scene. A placebo may help the brain to remember a time before the onset of symptoms and then bring about change to the body. This theory is called remembered wellness.
The placebo effect is not imaginary or fake, as some studies have documented an increase in the bodys production of endorphins, one of the bodys natural pain relievers. However, it can be difficult to distinguish from the actual effects of a treatment, which is why clinical trials use a placebo-controlled group to compare the effectiveness of a new treatment. The placebo effect can be verbally induced or result from conditioning and prior experiences that shape patient expectations. Several research studies have demonstrated the placebo effects role as a powerful determinant of health in certain disease conditions, such as migraines, joint pain, arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, and depression. Evidence also indicates that the therapeutic benefits of the placebo effect may not impact the pathophysiology of the underlying disease being studied but rather address the subjective self-appraised symptoms of the disease.
