Can I use placebo for pain?
We all deal with pain in different parts of our bodies throughout our lives. Some people suffer from chronic headaches, some have stomach pains due to IBS. Some are dealing with fatal diseases like cancer which results in pain or fatigue. No matter what the reason, pain is a part of life. It can be caused by a horrible disease or it is just your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong in your body or mind. Can you use a placebo for pain? Or do you have to stick to years old techniques of medicines or drugs to ease your pain?
Placebo power
A patient is given a sugar pill that lacks active medicine. He takes the pill, the doctor tells him he will feel better with it. The pain falls away and he feels better. There's a chance that he was going to get better anyway, but there is also a possibility that the inert pill worked. What actually happens is that the power of the mind influences the body to cause a positive effect called the placebo effect. That is the placebo power.
How does it work?
You might wonder, how a mere sugar pill with no chemically active compound can cause the patient to feel better. Is it magic? Is it a trick? Is it a game to cause illusions and hallucinations?
Well, no. Scientists have discovered after years of research that the human brain is a complex whole world, with capabilities we are unaware of and qualities we do not know yet. Your brain has the power to influence your body and with the right stimulus, give you relief from pain. When the patient is given a placebo pill and he takes it expecting to feel better, his brain cells activate the pain-relieving endorphins which are naturally present in the body as pain moderators. These are activated and cause you to feel less pain. This is merely your brain being stimulated to give the effect your heart desired or expected.
Brain and Body
The placebo effect revolves largely around positive thinking and believing in a treatment or procedure. It's all about creating a strong bond between the brain and body so they unite to get the expected result- pain relief. According to Professor Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center placebos cannot lower your cholesterol or cure your cancer but can help you with the symptoms modulated by the brain. Perception of pain is one of them. This is why placebos have been scientifically proven to show considerable improvement in pain, insomnia, IBS symptoms, anxiety, stress, and cancer-related side effects like fatigue.
Verdict
The human mind is an epitome of beauty and grace. It is powerful and full of surprises. It is vital that to encourage your mind to work at its full potential, you adopt a healthy lifestyle. Nurture your brain to encourage its power to heal. Eat right, feel positive, and keep your body active. And then watch how your brain emerges out to its true glory.