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How to use the placebo effect for IBS, back pain, migraines and more
The placebo effect is rock solid proof that your mind affects your physical health. Think about it…
The mere belief that you’re taking a helpful medicine can make a health condition get better, even if that medicine is nothing but sugar.
The main problem with the placebo effect is that once you know you’re taking a placebo, the health condition comes back (proof yet again of the mind’s power). Or if you know you’re taking a sugar pill from the get go, you won’t be able to trigger the placebo effect in the first place.
At least that’s what everyone’s always thought…
But what if you could knowingly take a sugar pill and still experience the healing power of the placebo effect? Would you be on board with taking fake medicine to trick your body into healing itself?
I know I would. And a lot of other people are too…
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The new frontier in placebo medicine
In 2009, a researcher from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University’s teaching hospital) decided to try something new…
He decided to perform a clinical trial where he told people they were receiving a placebo. Nowadays, this is called an open-label placebo or honest placebo trial. But back then this was unheard of. His Harvard colleagues thought he was crazy. They said telling people they were taking a placebo would make the trial pointless.
But the trial was far from pointless. This researcher discovered something astounding…
The placebo still worked even when people knew they were taking it.
The trial was conducted on people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and people who took the placebo pill were nearly twice as likely to experience improvement in their symptoms as people who didn’t receive any treatment. In fact, the placebo was just as effective as the actual medication used to treat IBS.
In the years since, this same researcher has done other honest placebo research. He’s found that people who know they’re taking a placebo can still get relief from migraines and chronic low back pain too.
In fact, the study on chronic low back pain showed that people taking the placebo had far less pain and disability than people taking painkillers. Go figure.
Other researchers have found that honest placebos work for problems like cancer fatigue and seasonal allergies too.
Can the placebo effect heal your health problems?
I know purposely taking a pill that you know is a placebo sounds kind of kooky, but it may be worth a try.
One woman who participated in that first honest placebo trial for IBS continues to take placebo pills today. She stopped after the study ended, but her symptoms came back. She dealt with her symptoms for years. Until eventually, she started taking placebo pills again, and her symptoms got better.
It’s hard to say why a placebo works even when you know it’s a sugar pill. But it may because we have a long history of taking pills for ailments and expecting relief. That means the simple act of taking a pill may trigger a subconscious response that makes us feel better.
However it works, the honest placebo may be worth a shot…. especially if you have any of the conditions that studies show it works for, like IBS, back pain or migraines. You can even buy honest placebo pills on Amazon if you really want to get serious about your “treatment.” Or you can make your own placebo pills with gelatin capsules and sugar.
At the very least, it will be a fun experiment to see if you can trigger the placebo effect in yourself. If it works, just think about all the everyday (and maybe even chronic ailments) you could improve with a simple sugar pill — without any nasty side effects that come with most pharmaceuticals!
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Sources:
- People Are Now Taking Placebo Pills to Deal With Their Health Problems — And It’s Working — Time.
- The power of the placebo effect — Harvard Medical School.
By Jenny Smiechowski
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