General Chat

With placebos curing up to 85% of patients in some reputable clinical trials, the Times has asked the controversial question ‘Do we really need so many powerful drugs?’

Rheumatologist Professor Michael Doherty from the University of Nottingham claims that placebos now usually outstrip any individual treatment in arthritis trials and scientists are giving credence to ‘self-healing’ based on the power of belief.

Professor Doherty went on to say that “the optimisation of such responses, through enhanced care, could greatly benefit people”.

The way that placebos work according to a study in China, is that when the patients heard they were being giving pain relief the expectation of this caused the release of dopamine in the brain, altering their experience of the pain.

Furthermore, research from Italy has suggested that many drugs ‘may only be boosters to the placebo effect.’

These comments are bound to divide the science community and those hoping to harness the power of placebo should note that it does not work on everyone and it often fades. As articulated by the Times; “Embracing placebo power conjures a deep paradox: if we accept that many drugs work mostly on sham, then we lose faith in drugs — our expectations plunge, and with them the placebo effect. For it to work, we may have to conveniently forget that much of mainstream medicine, in effect, involves faith-healing.”

Hi Len,

That's a very thought provoking view.
have to say I fight taking too many painkillers for my fm, arthritis etc and don't like taking the anitdepressants preferring to take homeopathic stuff for the low mood etc

I realise some people cannot cope like that and have to take a lot of pills etc but sometimes they seem to rely on them so much and get into a cycle of medicating, and surely some medication must counteract something else being taken, because maybe the doctor has forgotten the person is still taking a previous drug without being checked to see if it is still necessary.

Lizx