Can a placebo cure anything?
In modern times we have been structured to believe that illnesses are best cured with drugs. This thought has prevailed since pharmaceuticals became popular and widely available. However, in recent years there has been a rise in alternative medicines and therapies. Researchers have started showing interest in placebos and how the human mind could heal the body. Can a placebo cure anything? Is it the ultimate healer of all illnesses?
Magical Mind
Our brain is truly a work of art, gifted with remarkable powers. It has the ability to heal both mind and body. It is established after years of research and studies that feelings and expectations can have an impactful influence on our well being. Although a lot of research has strengthened our belief in mind-body connection a lot is still unknown. Our brain is a mystery and we still have a long way to go to fully understand it but from what we know so far- it is a healer itself.
How Placebos Can And Cannot Help
It is not right to underestimate the potential of placebos and how they can greatly impact our wellbeing but it is also not right to say that placebos can cure anything. There are chronic illnesses that cannot be healed by placebos only. Cancer is damage to the cells of a certain part of the body. It causes pain and other symptoms which may be relieved by placebos but cancer itself cannot be cured by a placebo.
Placebos have been proved helpful in pains, body aches, insomnia, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, asthma, Parkinson's, and certain autoimmune deficiencies. Life-threatening situations like cancer cannot be miraculously cured by placebos.
All those diseases which are responsive to neurotransmitters can be positively impacted by placebos. Parkinson’s is a chronic deficiency of dopamine, a brain chemical that conveys signals between neurons. It is responsible for our emotions and mental state. It is also known as the ‘happy hormone’. Now we are aware that placebos are driven by expectations but so is dopamine. This connection has been used to treat Parkinson’s using placebos to increase dopamine activity in the body.
What You Need To Know
Now it is established that placebos work in certain conditions and you do not always need medicine or drug to make you feel better. Your expectations coupled with a placebo can make significant differences however it is advised that if you are dealing with a life-threatening disease, playing with expectations is not the right time. Also, you don't have to spend a fortune chasing non-medicinal healings. Placebos and raising your expectations or hopes to get better do not have to be an incredibly expensive process. Lastly, you need to make sure that the placebo you use is not endangering your body or the environment in any way.
If you follow these important rules and use placebos for certain illnesses, you can activate your body’s natural healing process and find a cure in it.
What you need to remember is that just because it's a placebo (widely known as a dummy treatment), doesn't mean it won't work. It has all the potential in the world to work and cure you, all you need to do is firmly believe in it.