By Dr. Christopher Kent

Ask a person to define placebo, and most will say “a dummy or sugar pill.” Placebos are often used in research studies to compare results with a “real” drug. Yet research has shown that there is far more to the placebo than a tool to “fool” patients into believing they are receiving an effective treatment. An understanding of the placebo effect goes to the very heart of understanding our selfhealing capabilities.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language [1] defines the placebo effect as “The beneficial effect in a patient following a particular treatment that arises from the patient’s expectations concerning the treatment rather than from the treatment itself.”

Authors at the Mayo Clinic [2] have described some important aspects of the placebo effect, suggesting that it is a means of harnessing your mind’s power to heal:

Other researchers [3] have noted that “The study of the placebo effect, at its core, is the study of how the context of beliefs and values shape brain processes related to perception and emotion and, ultimately, mental and physical health.” The placebo effect is not “imagined” or “phony.” It has been shown that placebos actually affect the function of the brain in ways very similar to “active” treatments. [4]

Some studies that demonstrate the power of the placebo effect have shown:

Science has learned that, “Expectation releases substances, molecules, in your brain, that ultimately change your experience…The mind, it seems, may play a critical role in treating diseases. And its services come free of charge, with no copayment or deductible. Getting a person to boost their own machinery to improve health that’s something that medicine needs to know.” [4]

Doctors and other practitioners who express empathy, connect with the emotional needs of their patients, and communicate positive intent on a conscious and subconscious level are master healers. They understand that the real healer is the bodymind itself, and have developed the ability to release that potential in their patients.

References

1. “The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,” Fourth Edition , (2004). Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

2. Placebo effect: harnessing your mind’s power to heal. Science Daily. 12/31/03.

3. Benedetti F, Mayberg HS, Wager TD, et al: “Neurobiological mechanisms of the placebo effect.” The Journal of Neuroscience 2005;25(45):10390.

4. Guterman L: “Duping the brain into healing the body.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. December 3, 2003.

5. Kirsch I, Moore TJ, Scoboria A, Nkicholls SS: “The emperors new drugs: an analysis of antidepressant medication data submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.” Prevention & Treatment 2002;5(1)23 [Article A].

6. Preston RA, Materson BJ, Reda DJ, Williams DW: “Placeboassociated blood pressure response and adverse effects in the treatment of hypertension: observations from a Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study.” Archives of Internal Medicine 2000;160(10):1449.

7. http://www.mercola.com/2000/jun/10/placebo_bp.htm

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. David Fletcher is actively involved in all aspects of innovation teaching and research connected to the INSiGHT™ scanning technologies. He is widely recognized for his ability to share his expertise in compelling and easy to understand ways.

Dr David is a renowned chiropractor who practiced for many years with his associates in a scan-centric thriving principled family-based practice in Toronto. He is a sought-after teacher mentor and keynote speaker who takes every opportunity to share the wisdom and the power of chiropractic as it is meant to be.

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Dr. David Fletcher
DC FRCCSS(C) – Founder & CEO CLA Inc.
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