What conditions respond to placebos?
Placebos have a long and rich medical history. President Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend in 1807, “One of the most successful physicians I have ever known has assured me that he used more bread pills, drops of colored water, and powders of hickory ashes, than of all other medicines put together.” there is no denying the positive impact of placebos on patients seeking help but it is important to know what conditions respond to placebos.
Henry K.Beecher was an anesthesiologist who observed the placebo effect on soldiers wounded during World War II. He noted how the soldiers in deep pain refused treatment with morphine whereas civilians with similar wounds would ask for it. Beecher figured that living through war trauma-affected soldiers' interpretation of pain and a part of healing from a certain problem comes from within the person. Perceptions and psychological expectations have a huge impact on healing. Today numerous studies have shown that placebos can affect many conditions and help patients feel better.
Pain Management
It is observed that placebos are capable of altering a patient's perception of pain. Many studies have led to the belief that the human brain naturally consists of pain moderators called endorphins. When a placebo is taken with an expectation to feel better, your brain is stimulated to activate endorphins which change your perception of pain. Placebos can be taken for chronic pain to alleviate symptoms associated with it.
Depression & Anxiety
The placebo effect is also extensively used to treat depression and anxiety. Several studies of placebo interventions in depression such as psychotherapy and medication have shown remarkable results. Just like pain perception, antidepressant benefits are achieved with the patient's expectation and conditioning of taking a treatment that will bring a positive impact on his health.
Insomnia
Placebos may also be effective in the treatment of Insomnia. Chronic Insomnia is defined as difficulty or inability to fall asleep or staying asleep for a minimum of three nights a week for one month. According to Dr.Ben of the University of Sydney, clinical trials of sleep drugs such as Temazepam against inert placebo pills have shown that placebos are effective in treating insomnia.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
IBS is a common gut-brain disorder that is known to cause many different uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating or constipation. It is known to remarkably reduce the quality of life. This condition also shows a significant placebo response of about 40-50 percent. What adds to the placebo effect is a warm and positive patient-practitioner relationship in the treatment of IBS and other placebo treatments.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease is caused by a chronic deficiency of dopamine which is the feel-good neurotransmitter. Dopamine’s most significant role in the human body is how we think about pleasure. Parkinson’s is the best disease to talk about placebos. Dopamine is very responsive to expectations which is the driving force of the placebo effect. This makes placebo a very good treatment for Parkinson’s disease and is being used to treat the condition in many places in the world.
Placebos have the power to make your mind work to achieve what many medicines do. However, it is important to note that although placebos respond to conditions mentioned above and other conditions like types of asthma and autoimmune deficiencies- there are still a few conditions that are not responsive to placebos. You cannot treat a cancerous tumor with placebos but can somehow manage its critical symptoms for some time with placebos. Nevertheless, placebos are a blessing disguised as an inert, invaluable, and dormant substance. You have to understand the potential of placebos to reap the benefits from it.