How does the placebo effect work?
In the world of science, a placebo is generally described as an inert substance with no chemical capability or is a sham physical intervention. However, this definition is not just enough. Placebos are made of many things such as words, rituals, actions, symbols, etc. Therefore it is not just any fake pharmacological treatment. It is a proven treatment and though its administration involves a fake substance or action, it manages to induce very real effects. How does the placebo effect work? How do these inert substances or actions manage to produce such outstanding results in the human brain? What goes about inside the brain? Let’s learn further.
What happens when a placebo is given?
Neuroscientists have found out that the improvement in patients’ conditions from placebos are derived from the patient’s expectations and beliefs. The higher they are, the better the effects are. Expectations are active processes in the human brain. They cause movement. One of the most interesting aspects of placebos to be discovered is the fact that the placebos activate the same biochemical pathways in the brain and body which are activated by drugs. This idea is phenomenal.
Humans are blessed with endogenous systems that can be activated by verbal positive expectations, therapeutic actions or rituals, healing symbols, and healthy social interactions. These seemingly outward actions can act like the required drugs and give similar results. Humans are endowed with natural pain killers and various other biochemicals that can be activated using placebos.
What the science says
Placebo groups have been widely used in clinical trials but in the past few years separate placebo oriented researches are emerging also to find out the mysterious placebo effects and how it works in the human brain. Columbia University professor of psychology Tor Wager led research to experiment on how placebo acts on the brain.
The experiment involved the scientists applying placebo cream on a group of volunteers’ forearms. They were told it was a pain reliever, though it was just a placebo. Next, another control cream was applied to another area and the volunteers were informed it had no effect. Researchers then placed a painfully hot stimulus on both forearms areas and using the positron emission tomography ( PET) scans, they measured brain activity during each application. After the comparison of results, it was concluded that the placebo treatment caused patients' brains to release more opioids, which is the natural pain reliever in the human body released by brian.
The scientists found out that the first area treated with a placebo which volunteers falsely believed to be a pain reliever, the opioid release occurred in an area in the brainstem, connected with pain relief. The brain was observed to produce a flight-or-fight response by producing opioids in parts of the cerebral cortex also.
These results prove that the placebos effect causes considerable effects on the brain's neurochemistry and mental response can help the body in many ways.
Mind-body interactions are not just a myth, it's a complete science in itself with promising results.