Power of Placebo

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.”

-Buddha

What we believe, becomes reality. A placebo is defined as: the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health or behavior not attributable to a medication or invasive treatment that has been administered.

The modern day placebo can be traced to a lie told by an army nurse in World War 2. Morphine supplies were running low, the nurse assured a wounded soldier he was getting a shot of a potent painkiller, though her syringe only contained salt water. Amazingly the bogus injection relieved the soldier’s agony and prevented the onset of shock. They then proceeded to give the injection to the rest of the wounded soldiers. The results were nothing less than astounding.

This is nothing new. For centuries people have known the power of the mind. Ambrose Pare (1510-1590) had expressed that the physician’s duty was to “cure occasionally, relive often, console always”. Accordingly placebos were used often before the 20th century.

In the 17th century a German physician named Franz Mesmer believed that energy transference occurred between people. He called it animal magnetism. He had great results with his patients using various chants, motions and other techniques. His patients would be amazed, they said that Dr. Mesmer would ‘mesmerize’ patients into health. Hence the origin of the word mesmerize.

Knee Surgery. In 2002 the Baylor School of Medicine conducted a study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Surgeon Dr. Bruce Moseley wanted to study what part of knee surgery was giving his patients the most relief from their debilitating pain. He grouped patients into three groups. One group had damaged cartilage shaved off their knee. The next group had their knee flushed out, removing inflammatory material that was thought to be causing the pain. The last group had a ‘fake’ surgery. In this, three standard knee surgery incisions were placed in the knee and Dr. Moseley spoke and acted as though he had performed the surgery. All three groups had the same rehabilitation after the surgery. What he found was absolutely stunning. As expected, the first two groups had found improvement. However, the third group had the same results as those who had had the actual surgery! He concluded that it was not his skill as a surgeon that produced those results, but rather the placebo effect.

Forty years before the Baylor study, cardiologist Dr. Leonard Cobb experienced similar results. He conducted an experiment to ascertain the efficacy of a surgery popular at the time, which was called an internal mammary ligation in which knots were tied in two arteries to increase blood flow to the heart. There was a 90 percent success rate. Cobb made the incisions and again acted as though he had performed the actual surgery. To his surprise, the patients who received the ‘sham’ surgery did just as well as those who had had the actual surgery. Interestingly, that particular procedure was soon abandoned

Dr. Irving Kirsch is head of the Placebo Studies Program at Harvard Medical School. Recently he completed a study on the effects of anti-depressants and found that they actually were no more powerful than sugar pills. His study showed that each provided about 50% success in patients. He concluded that the chemical in the drug did not deliver a beneficial effect.

It’s amazing how even money can be a big influence in the power of the placebo. In one study, scientists dispensed two pills, which were both placebos for painkillers. They charged people $2.50 for one and only 10 cents for the other. It was found that the 10-cent pill showed 60% efficacy while the $2.50 pill demonstrated an 85% success rate.

Many doctors throughout time have used this to enhance healing. In Israel 3 out 5 doctors reported using placebos in their practice at least once a month. 94% of those doctors said it was effective.

A few studies have even been conducted to determine if given a placebo without deceiving the patient would it be productive.

In 2010 Ted Kaptchuk and colleagues at Harvard Medical School administered a placebo treatment to patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  The patients were told they were given placebos (sugar pills) though they still may be effective. They actually had experienced twice as much relief from their symptoms as patients who received no treatment at all.

Nikola Tesla said ‘If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration’. When we understand that our mind is everything, we begin to see how anything is possible.

Dr. Jag Johal