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What is the Placebo effect?
Posted on Sep 20 2011
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 The Placebo Effect has been recognised for many years and describes the observation that many patients have improvements in their health or  symptoms when they take a dummy pill or medicine with apparently no active ingredients or even undergo ‘mock operations’ where no procedure is actually been carried out. Recent studies have even shown that some people get better even when they know they have been given a placebo. This rather negates the view that patients get better because they believe a treatment will make them better.

 

The Placebo Effect is still poorly understood and its existence actually complicates many medical trials and tests. Generally around 30% of people tested will feel better when given a placebo treatment. This is often a higher success rate than the drugs being tested and better than some commonly used treatments.

There are many studies that show that a wide range of complementary therapies perform better than a placebo, as well as studies involving animals, babies and cells, none of which could be expected to have a conscious expectation of recovery. So we could say that both conventional and complementary therapies exhibit the Placebo Effect with some people, but it is clearly not the only mechanism involved.

 

Louise Cardon, Reiki Teacher and Practitioner, Keston Natural Health Practice

Last changed: Sep 20 2011 at 11:08 AM

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Louise Cardon and Vicki Raven trading as Keston Natural Health Practice

Bromley- West Wickham- Keston- Hayes- Beckenham- Croydon- Biggin Hill- Shirley- Orpington- London

Aromatherapy-Ayurvedic Facial Rejuvination Massage-Flower Essences- Homeopathy- Reflexology-Reiki- Sports Massage- Therapeutic Massage- Complementary Therapies- Natural Therapies- Stress Management- Relaxation