Reading an article today at Wired.com about the increasing efficacy of placebos in tests against pharmaceuticals, I wonder if we may be on the verge of an important breakthrough with regard to the power of the human mind to affect physiology. I think it’s pretty well documented that stress can contribute to illness, and stress is a product of thought. So maybe we can make better use of thought/intention to heal. From the article: Half of all drugs that fail in late-stage trials drop out of the pipeline due to their inability to beat sugar pills. [...] It's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. It's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger. Interesting observation about the view of the placebo effect among some researchers: Part of the problem was that response to placebo was considered a psychological trait related to neurosis and gullibility rather than a physiological phenomenon that could be scrutinized in the lab and manipulated for therapeutic benefit. So far there seem to be limitations to the placebo effect, but I wonder of the real limitation is our understanding of how it works and finding better ways to stimulate it. By definition, inert pills have no effect, but under the right conditions they can act as a catalyst for what he calls the body's "endogenous health care system." Like any other internal network, the placebo response has limits. It can ease the discomfort of chemotherapy, but it won't stop the growth of tumors. Could further study and understanding of the mind lead to a transformation in healing? I think we’re getting closer to something like that.
It's my own personal theory that natural selection has made natural selection obsolete in some ways. We are so good at preserving lives that probably shouldn't be preserved that we now have made it much more possible that the gene pool will be reproduced by people stupid enough to fall for a placebo. Gruff, abrasive way of saying things I know, but morons not getting eaten means more morons. More morons means a differently evolved species.
Nick, what do you mean by ‘fall for’ a placebo? The evidence shows that the mere belief in a healing aid has produced healing.
"fall for" was really not supposed to mean anything more than what I think you just said. That the belief is the power.
Maybe people have more faith in the efficacy of medication in general. This could possibly be because medications have improved over the years. With more faith in medication, the placebo effect may also increase.
There are studies that show certain shapes and colors of pills are more effective placebos than others. We've learned how to make better placebos as we better understand our reaction to them. I think that's fascinating. Like the article said, placebos can mitigate discomfort, but they're not going to kill off bacterial infections, regulate insulin levels, or unclog arteries.
It's an interesting question. Sometimes, maybe oftentimes, you just get over whatever is was that ailed you, you might attribute it to the pill you took. Sometimes mental attitude helps in healing. You read or witness faith healing, or people who believe other things cure them of various conditions. I don't know why it would be increasing in effectiveness. Could it be a sample size not big enough to reveal the truth?
It would seem to point to the psychosomatic nature of some health matters. We know that thought can affect both illness and healing, at least in limited ways. I have seen reports showing that people who meditate regularly have fewer illnesses, suggesting that one’s state of mind does influence physical health. This is just anecdotal but I started meditating nearly four years ago and I’ve only been to a doctor one time in that period. I do think there will be advances in this area as we learn more about the nature of the mind/body connection.
My grandfather lived to 104 and was a GP who believed in the mind's power to heal. And he mainly treated people who could only pay with a chicken (not making that up). He didn't share much personal wisdom with me, more travel, but he did say something along the lines of "These are NOT the droids you are looking for" and alluded to the notion that SOME minds can be made to heal and that the minds that seem really smart are often the ones with the most problems. They also come up with solutions that save morons, but not themselves.
Not knowing the specifics of these trials, could it not be the placebo per se but the act of participation that has substantive behavioral influences? E.g., are participants (placebo or not) more likely to improve their diet during the trial? Or self-regulate better sleeping habits?
Perhaps the drugs just aren't that great? Getting back on my soap box I will tell you that the FDA only requires studies against Placebo, but what they should also require is studies against drugs already on the market that do the same thing.
I think this is a cool topic. I am fascinated by the human mind and its workings. I don't think there is any question that state of mind affects healing. I do tend to think stress and/or anxiety play a major role in illness and healing. I am sure that a lot of the placebo affect deals in the areas of mental illness with depression and anxiety. I think there are probably a few factors at play. The hardest thing would be to get actually good diagnosis of the people in the study. I am an absolute strong believer in using medication to aid these inflictions and I am also an absolute believer that many people take them that aren't really afflicted. I am not a doctor, but everything I have ever read and studied about depression and anxiety is that they are a result of a chemical imbalance in the body/mind. For these folks, I can not see a placebo working. For people who may be depressed but not suffering from depression, a placebo might work wonderfully as all that was really needed was a change of attittude as opposed to treating a chemical imbalance. As I said, I believe that stress can exacerbate many illnesses. If a placebo can cause a person to relax it can therefore help in other areas.
Perhaps our definition of disease is now broadening to include psychosomatic disorders. Psychological disorders were historically treated with psychological cures. Now, people want chemical cures for psychological problems. If we are trying to treat psychosomatic disorders chemically, it would explain why placebo is so responsive.
