Placebo

The Placebo Effect

Why an inert substance, a so-called "sugar pill," or a fake surgery or therapy would be effective,  is not completely known. Placebo medications are sometimes prescribed when no drug is really needed because they make patients feel well taken care of. Placebos are also used as controls in scientific studies on the effectiveness of drugs. 

So-called double blind experiments, where neither the doctor nor the patient knows whether the given medication is the experimental drug or the placebo, are often done to assure unbiased, statistically reliable results. The "placebo effect is an improvement in health due not to any treatment but only to the patient's belief that he or she will improve (as by taking a dummy pill that is thought to be a cure). 

An opposite, or "negative placebo effect, has been observed when patients believe their health will get worse. Research has confirmed that a fake treatment, made from an inactive substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution, can have a "placebo effect"--that is, the sham medication can sometimes improve a patient's condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful. For a given medical condition, it's not unusual for one-third of patients to feel better in response to treatment with placebo. 

"Expectation is a powerful thing," says Robert DeLap, M.D., head of one of the Food and Drug Administration's Offices of Drug Evaluation. "The more you believe you're going to benefit from a treatment, the more likely it is that you will experience a benefit." 

To separate out this power of positive thinking and some other variables from a drug's true medical benefits, companies seeking FDA approval of a new treatment often use placebo-controlled drug studies. If patients on the new drug fare significantly better than those taking placebo, the study helps support the conclusion that the medicine is effective.

So, a placebo is an inert substance, or "fake" surgery or therapy, used as a control in an experiment or given to a patient for its possible or probable beneficial effect.In a drug study, one group of patients is given a placebo and another the experimental drug, to see if the drug group's health improvements sufficiently surpass those from placebo. Significance is measured by relation to chance: if an event is not likely due to chance, then its occurrence is significant. 

A double-blind test is a control group test where neither the evaluator nor the subject knows which items are controls. A random test is one which randomly assigns items to the control or experimental groups. The purpose of controls, double-blind and random testing is to reduce error, self-deception and bias. 

The Placebo Effect is one of the most common phenomena observed in medicine, but also a very mysterious one. It is powerful. In a study carried out at the University of Harvard, its effectiveness was tested in a wide range of disturbances, including pain, arterial hypertension and asthma. The result was impressive: 30 to 40% of the patients obtained relief with the use of placebo. Furthermore, the placebo effect is not limited to medicines but it can appear with any kind of medical procedure. 

In a trial to test the value of a surgical procedure (ligature of an artery in the thorax) to treat angina pectoris (pain in the chest caused by chronic heart ischemia), the placebo procedure consisted in anesthetizing the patient and only cutting his skin. The thus fictitiously treated patients showed an 80% improvement while those actually operated upon only 40%. In other words: placebo acted better than surgery.  Similarly, the Placebo Effect accounts for up to fifty percent of improvement in depressed patients taking antidepressants. So, what counts is the reality present in the brain, not the pharmacological one of the pharmacist or even the real conditions of the environment. 

The placebo effect is the measurable or observable effect on a person or group that has been given a placebo treatment. A placebo is an inert substance, or "fake" surgery or therapy, used as a control in an experiment or given to a patient for its possible or probable beneficial effect. Why an inert substance, a so-called "sugar pill," or a fake surgery or therapy would be effective,  is not completely known. 

Many believe the placebo effect is psychological, due to either a real effect caused by belief  or to a subjective delusion. If I believe the pill will help, it will help. The psychological theory is that it's all in your mind. But even in animals several environmental stimuli can unite to each other, forming a chain. Any of those stimuli can act as a sign and turn the conditioned reflex on. 

Placebos are not always given wittingly. Homeopathy or even some conventional treatments may work through the placebo effect and that patients with cancer gain in optimism because of complementary treatments. When the placebo response works by expectancy, it apparently does so by turning on the biochemical pathways that produce endorphins. 

Automatically our brains filter all sensory data for threats of danger ready to trigger an alarm reaction. Madison Avenue has careful studies showing just what words, shapes and colors command our attention. Unchecked, these artificially elevated levels of stress related hormones begin to take a toll on the body's immune system and over-all stamina. 

So there is a opposite to the placebo effect: fear. For example, in voodoo death, the victim must believe in the curse or spell for it to be effective. All people experience physiological reactions to anticipation and stress, something like the fight-or-flight response, that help them to survive and cope. The body responds by producing adrenaline, dopamine or nor epinephrine so that we can think and act more quickly and are generally more alert. 

Stress overload is quite real in contemporary life, but it is usually up to us to independently find whatever remedy we can. The complexity of our lives, compounded by technology behooves us to take an active role in finding rest and repose: bliss. If there is an organic impetus toward the divine it may have its roots here. Before science and medicine there was no place to turn in crisis but religion or "magic." 

We know that positive emotions increase creativity, our immune responses, and can even elevate the IQ. Most of us have learned that the the principles of meditation and creative visualization work, even if we don't practice them. Whatever we pay attention to is what we become.  Dr. Joe Dispenza has several very good YouTube presentations  about the Placebo, offering a good overview of how synchronizing thoughts and emotions empowers the placebo.

In order to usher in a new society propagating peace, harmony, and wholeness, we must change our perspectives of what is valued.

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LINKS The Placebo Effect
PLACEBOS Placebos are putatively inactive substances tested in controlled studies for comparison with presumed active drugs or prescribed for relief of symptoms or to meet a patient's demands.  Placebo Effect: The Power of the Sugar Pill
Julio Rocha do Amaral, MD e Renato M. E. Sabbatini, PhD. The placebo effect is powerful. In a study carried out at the 
University of Harvard, its effectiveness was tested in a wide range of disturbances, including pain, arterial hypertension 
and asthma. The result was impressive: 30 to 40% of the patients obtained relief with the use of placebo. 
Amazon.com: buying info: The Placebo Effect : An Interdisciplinary Exploration
Books All Products Explore this book buying info table of contents editorial reviews customer reviews rate this item See more by this author all books by Anne Harrington 
Univ. of Connecticut - Antidepressants, Placebo Effect
News release for a study exploring how antidepressants are effective due to the placebo effect. 
The Healing Power of Placebos        Part 2       Part 3
A sham medication can sometimes improve a patient's condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful. 
Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General - Chapter 2
Overview of Treatment -   Introduction to Range of Treatments
The placebo effect is the healing force of nature
In a series "Placebos in Medicine", published recently by The Lancet, this topic was discussed by several authors (1-5). The article "Is there a logic in the placebo?" reveals the main concern of modern medicine, how to define it scientifically,......... 
Placebo Effect Accounts for Fifty Percent of Improvement in Depressed Patients Taking Antidepressants
APA news release reveals research that patients receiving antidepressants can attribute 50% of their improvement to the placebo effect of the medication. Thus, the psychological effect of the medication is just as strong as its chemical components. 
HANDS ON HEALTH
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE PLACEBO EFFECT? In my years as a Physical Therapist, I have read many research articles that attributed the positive effects of Physical Therapy to the Placebo Effect... 
The Placebo Effect
Health professionals and researchers have long been aware of a strange phenomenon associated with their attempts to identify appropriate treatments for the broad array of human ailments. 
The Placebo Effect. January 10, 2000. The Connection with Christopher Lydon. 
Second Hour: The Placebo Effect 
CSICOP / Skeptical Inquirer / January 1997 / The Mysterious Placebo
The Mysterious Placebo One of the most significant but widely misunderstood phenomena is the placebo effect. Research shows that the placebo effect can be greater and is far more ubiquitous than commonly thought. 
Mind Over Matter
The power of a simple breath. The unbelievable placebo effect. Hypnosis, a powerful mind-tool or fiction? "sometimes the greatest challenges come from within" 
The Placebo Response by Howard Brody with Daralyn Brody 
Find out about the book, read latest news about the placebo response, use exercises to improve your own health 
MDD July/August 1999: The Mysterious Placebo Effect
Modern Drug Discovery July/August 1999 Modern Drug Discovery, 1999, 2(4) 30-40 . © 1999 American Chemical Society. 
The Placebo Effect. January 10, 2000. The Connection with Christopher Lydon.
Second Hour: The Placebo Effect 
Skeptic's Dictionary - Placebo Effect
Read a definition of the "placebo effect" and learn about how a control group is used during an experiment. 

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Bibliography
 

• The Powerful Placebo : From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician by Arthur K., Md
• The Power of Hope : A Doctor's Perspective by Howard M. Spiro 
• The Placebo Response : How You Can Release the Body's Inner Pharmacy for Better Health by Howard Brody, Daralyn Brody (Contributor) 
• From Placebo to Panacea : Putting Psychiatric Drugs to the Test by Seymour Fisher (Editor), et al 

Visualization

Everything we think or do has a philosophical consequence whether we are aware of it or not. When we come to the limits of understanding, we invariably resort to emotional decisions. In fact emotions are hard-wired to over-ride reason in an emergency. Approach or avoidance is mostly decided by how we feel about something. It is our imagination that guides or directs these feelings, and the process is more or less automatic.

Most of us use this power of our imagination poorly, unskillfully. In fact, because of our own deep-seated negative concepts about life,  we unconsciously expect and imagine difficulties, and problems to be our lot in life. The result is lack and limitation, much of which we have created for ourselves. Individually and collectively, most people have probably wasted much if not most of their time in this way.

Unfortunately most people never really get their imagination working for them. Instead, they let their mind work against them, creating things they fear and don't want. The legitimate purpose of fear is to protect us from harm, but too much of it can result in trauma, phobias or emotional scars that cause us to adopt a protective posture in life. It can become a nagging problem like a barking dog without supervision.

Sometimes past incidents that were so traumatic, that we have been unable to remember them clearly, if at all. This can cause a person to behave in ways they don't like or even understand, such as exaggeration of normal patterns of behavior or other maladaptive traits that protect a person against unconscious anxiety. They may even become self-punishing or incapacitated to some extent. For example they may feel the need to constantly check the time, or that doors are  locked, or feel very agitated about carrying out normal every day tasks.

Neurosis, according to Sigmund Freud, arises from inner conflicts, and particularly from insecurity in childhood. Each of us probably has a few issues with our inner child. If we could fully  resolve those bad feelings from the past, then we could also reconnect with past  resources, and begin to feel more resourceful, more centered, and can think about the past without it bothering us.

Most of our worries are usually unfounded. It is important to realize that we all are hampered to some extent by the negative experiences of our past. In order to turn this around we have basically two approaches. We can find a way to neutralize the intensity of bad feelings that often accompany the memories of past experiences. And we can find ways to re-invest our present and future experiences with positive emotions.

If you weren't parented in just the way you would have liked or have suffered from some abuse, you can resolve to limit the amount of time and attention you are willing to invest in this situation. Abusers have usually suffered abuse themselves, and are unable to get over it. Maybe they did the best they could with what they had to work with. Even if not, the power of forgiveness is an important key in overcoming toxic emotions. 
Researchers have also proven that stress, which starts in the mind, is the number one cause of all fatigue and illness.

Doctors and scientists believe that 75% of all sickness and disease starts in the mind. Scientists have also proven that we only use about 10% of our mind. The rest is never used properly. That means 10% of our mind is causing 75% of all problems and illness. Feeling sorry for yourself saps your spirit and can start you into a downward spiral and may even impair your immune system. Just don't go there. Tell yourself that misery is optional, and just find something more interesting to do with your mind. Your mind is incredibly powerful, don't squander it.

The human body is an intricate and beautifully designed series of checks and balances. For example, we have a pain control network to regulate pain perception. The brain produces many hormones and chemicals that bear a close functional resemblance to morphine, which is the strongest painkiller doctors have. These chemicals are called endorphins. One of the endorphins, beta-endorphin, was 18 to 50 times more effective than morphine. Another endorphin, called dynorphin, was over 500 times stronger than morphine in some biological tests.

Our own opiates may explain how someone severely wounded in battle can continue to fight or have the strength to save someone else. Some scientists feel that endorphin release may be another reason some people pursue dangerous activities such as bungee jumping. So called thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies may not just be addicted to the rush of adrenaline. Prolonged, continuous exercise contributes to an increased production and release of endorphins, resulting in a sense of euphoria that has been popularly labeled “runner's high.”

In fact we are learning that addictive behavior of all sorts is intimately linked to endorphins. Besides behaving as a pain regulator, endorphins are also thought to be connected to physiological processes including euphoric feelings, appetite modulation, and the release of sex hormones.

Endorphins and other neurotransmitters are flooded into our bloodstream during stressful, as well as good times, are often felt "physically" as we get a queasy or nervous feeling in our stomachs. That "gut feeling" most people, at one time or another have felt, is our second brain talking to us. Pleasant memories such as our first bike, or a great vacation, or bad memories, as when a loved one or a pet dies are also linked to the autonomic nervous system and the brain stem. Endorphin research even suggest a link between our emotional state of well being and the health of our immune systems.

The placebo effect is also attributed to endorphin and enkephalin release, as the emotional component of receiving a sugar pill. Many types of therapies such as massage or hydrotherapy's have also been shown to release endorphins and enkephalins. Exercise, meditation , relaxation and a good sense of humor may be more helpful than what those in the medical communities once believed.

Laughter may help modern therapies and medicine as an adjunctive therapy that cost little or nothing to obtain. Norman Cousins reported that 10 minutes of solid belly laughter gave him two hours of pain free sleep when he was battling a painful degenerative disease. Several studies have shown that pain perception is reduced after exposure to comedy. Perhaps this reflects higher levels of endorphins. Expectancy also turns on the biochemical pathways in the brain that produce endorphins.

Some people refer to your hidden abilities as Mind Power, or Spiritual Power, or the Power of your Subconscious Mind, or or The Power of Positive Thinking, or Hypnotherapy. The truth is - it's ALL of them. It can create wealth, success, romance, help you lose weight, build self-confidence - anything you want. It will also help you find your true calling,  give your life meaning and allow you to have inner peace as  you accomplish your goals. But in order to get the most out of life you must first understand something of the amaising creative powers of your own mind.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz,  one of the most important leaders in the field of self-image psychology. He gained worldwide recognition and respect for his pioneering accomplishments in the field of plastic surgery. He observed that his patients' low self-esteem often remained unchanged even after he had dramatically improved their physical appearance. So he was inspired to study deeply into the workings of the human mind.

He again gained worldwide fame as a pioneer in a new type of science discipline, the science of managing your own mind to enjoy happiness and peace of mind as you accomplish your most cherished dreams. His book was a landmark in proving that our self image is all important in determining the quality of our lives. 
Dr.Maltz ultimately recommended changing our attitudes towards ourselves, rather than our appearances. Presenting positive attitude as a means for change using techniques for relaxation and visualization. His book, Psycho-Cybernetics, the best selling book ever published on self image therapy, self hypnosis, and self improvement, has sold over 30 million copies world wide.

In order to gain a competitive edge, more and more athletes employ sports psychologists to achieve "performance enhancement" through a form of mental practice known as visualization.  It's doing your "sport" over and over again in your mind, with the "right moves" and the "dreamed of" result.  You can do this with your eyes closed in a quiet room, in the shower, while you're waiting... any time.

"If you had access to all the wealth in the world and took a penny, you would be doing exactly what you probably have been doing in the use of your brain.  Nothing in the world is more pitiful than the understanding by the average person of the  power of his brain...You own in your brain the most marvelous, miraculous, inconceivable powerful force the world has ever known. T ake, for example, the fact that the number of lines which connect the brain cells with one another equal the figure 1 followed by 15,000,000 ciphers.  It has been determined that there are from  10 to 14 billion cells in the average human cerebral cortex. It  is inconceivable that such a network of intricate machinery should be in existence for the sole purpose of carrying on the physical functions incidental to growth and maintenance of the physical body.  The subconscious mind consists of a field of consciousness in which every impulse of thought that reaches the objective mind through any of the five senses is classified and recorded; and from which thoughts may be recalled or withdrawn as letters may  be taken from a filing cabinet. It receives and files sense impressions or thoughts, regardless of their nature.  You may voluntarily plant in your subconscious mind any plan, thought,  or purpose which you desire to translate into its physical or monetary equivalent.    The subconscious acts first on the dominating desires which have been mixed with emotional feeling such as faith....Your subconscious mind works night and day through a method of procedure unknown to man, the subconscious mind draws on the forces of infinite intelligence for the power with which it voluntarily transmutes one's desires into their physical equivalent, making use always of the most practical media through which this end may be accomplished.   You cannot entirely control your subconscious mind, but you can voluntarily hand over to it any plan, desire, or purpose you wish transformed into concrete form.  No one knows very much about what we call the subconscious or unconscious mind. We do know that it is incalculably powerful and can solve our problems if we go about using it the right way, and the best way is to hold in your conscious mind as often as possible a clear picture of yourself already having accomplished your goal.    You know what you want, define it clearly, and then project it on the "motion picture screen" of your mind. Hold it. See yourself doing the things and having the things you will have when the objective will have been reached.  Do this as often as possible as you go about your daily work, and particularly at night, just before you go to sleep, and the first thing upon arising. As you do this, your subconscious will begin to lead you in the most logical ways toward your objective.  Don't fight it.  Follow your sudden hunches, the ideas that come into your mind, knowing that it is your subconscious trying to get through to your conscious mind.    If you'll keep at this you will be amazed and delighted by the wonderful ideas that just seem to come from nowhere...from the systematic triggering of the subconscious mind.  The lives  of the great men and women which seem miraculous to the average person are nothing more than the fulfilling of their burning desires through the power of their subconscious mind.    Time means nothing to your subconscious.  A man could work steadily at his job for forth years and not accomplish as much as is possible in three or four years through the proper working of this principle.  Your subconscious mind can not remain idle.  If you fail to plant desires in your subconscious mind, it will feed upon the thoughts which reach it as the result of your neglect.   Remember that you are living daily in the midst of all manner of thought impulses which are reaching your subconscious mind without your knowledge.  Some of these impulses are negative. Some are positive.  You are now engaged in trying to help shut off the flow of negative impulses and aid in voluntarily influencing your subconscious mind through positive impulses of desire.  When you achieve this, you will posses the key which unlocks the door to your subconscious mind."     - Napoleon Hill

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Imagination is the ability to create an idea, a mental picture. Visualization is the ability to invest this mental picture with enough attention and emotion that it becomes a viable goal. Imagination can be quite powerful since it can engage both our intellectual and emotional resources. In fact if you are looking for some real magic in your life, here is where to start.

Living Consciously involves gaining awareness and integrating that awareness into our daily lives so that it truly makes a difference in how effective we are and how fulfilled we feel.

Visualization techniques like meditation is essentially a form of hypnosis which is a way of directly engaging  the subconscious mind .

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• The Magic of Believing, written in 1948, by Claude M. Bristol, has helped thousands attain both personal and professional goals and the appeal of its philosophy remains a powerful tool for change. Now you can turn your thoughts into real achievements too! "It's the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance, sweeps away all obstacles." Tnt the Power Within You  - by Claude M. Bristol, Harold Sherman 
• Shakti Gawain- her book, Creative Visualization, is a pioneering bestseller and perennial favorite helped launch a new movement  in the personal growth field when it was first published 20 years ago. It is a classic guide teaches methods that are practical and easy to incorporate into daily life. - Download Creative Visualization from audible.com now. 
• enkephalins .com - shortcuts to paradise  - addiction 
• Thought For The Day - lots of links here
• Self Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion - 1922 by Emile Coue 
• Grow Rich While You Sleep by Ben Sweetland 
• Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz 

• Reality Creation - Let's take credit and responsibility for the realities we are creating. It look like humanity it far more gifted than we ever thought possible. 
  Meditation Primer / Visualization - It's about creating images in our mind. Everyone has the ability to visualize; some just have developed it to a higher degree. 
  Subconscious Science - Healing Chatroom Transcript - Transcript of Healing Chat on Subconscious Science - Hosted by Brian Braun 
  The Healing Power of the Mind and Visualization -  a  form of self-hypnosis, is a tool anyone can use to help foster healing. 
  Learn How to Meditate, Concentrate and Contemplate -  progressively master a foundation of relaxation and concentration and then expansion as you connect with the divine and your authenticity. "Life is a banquet. And the tragedy is that most people are starving to death." 
  Buddhism Site -  With links, resources, and illuminating features, About.Com Guide Dick Dillon can help you on your way down the eightfold path.

• Using Creative Visualization -  the process of imagining things, has many uses. The book "The Einstein Factor" talks about how it helps increase your intelligence, by building up the connectors between the neurons in your brain. 
• Scrolls on Meditation and Creative Visualization -  Meditation and visualization are two very powerful tools for doing inner and outer magick. Even if you don't use visualization "journeys" or for relaxation, pretty much every type of magick requires you to clearly be able to visualize your goal. 
• What is Guided Imagery? - Since ancient times, storytellers have used words to paint vivid pictures in the minds of their listeners. Guided Imagery (also called guided meditation) is the process of using words (narration) and often music, to take the listener on an inner journey. 
• Visualization and Affirmations for Peak Perfomance - What is the difference in the psychology of a winner and a loser; of one who is stressed out and one who is relaxed; of one who is angry and one who is calm;... 
• Whole Brain Learning: Superlearning: Brain Fitness, Brain Gym nasium: Whole Brain Training, Power, Supermemory! Brain Gymnasium: Whole Brain Power, Supermemory! Using the whole brain instead of a fraction allows you to experience balance and harmony the way you were meant to be! Whole Brain Learning: 
• BRAINWAVE ENTRAINMENT FREQUENCIES - a system of altered states of consciousness, with a purpose of achieving various set life goals. 
• The New England Institute of Hypnotherapy - learn Creative Visualization, Add Creative Visualization to your personal or professional toolbox & create quick, dramatic change! Study hypnosis 
• Audio Tapes for Creative Visualization - We are here to make you better! Our elite training systems in visualizing will help you enhance everything that contradicts your prosperity. Specific results in 10 hours guaranteed. 
• Meditation For Living -  tapes carefully and simply designed to inspire, challenge and improve our way of life. 
• Meditate, Concentrate and Contemplate - 6 months of weekly support to progressively master a foundation of relaxation and concentration and then expansion as you connect with the divine and your authenticity. 
• Visualization - Within you is the ability, the seed of greatness, an unlimited potential. It is only awaiting the stimulation of your desire to spring forth .... You have the key to that door. Hypnosis is a powerful tool in developing the mind's power of visualization. CD/tape. 
• Buy Self Help Books - Buy the book The Creative Visualization Workbook at Ashleyshostingonramp, an Amazon affiliate. 
• Create The Life You Want - Learn to Develop the powers of your mind and subconscious mind. Complete course shows you how to Create success, wealth, romance, happiness and more. Guaranteed results. 
• Dreams Obscure - A comprehensive site on the subjects of astral projection and dreams. 

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