The Placebo Effect - the safest drug in the world?

Most people have heard of the placebo effect but is it real and why does it occur?

In this episode I look at how placebos may exert their effects and some examples of where they have worked.

Is the placebo something that can be used to our advantage? And why do some people experience a nocebo?

Links:

Ted Kaptchuk and his work on placebo:

https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2013/01/the-placebo-phenomenon

Mechanisms of the placebo effect: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513296/

Knee surgery (placebo as good as surgery): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013259

Placebo and treatment resistant depression: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2784479

Nocebo: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/harmful-placebos

Balint and the doctor as a drug: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-power-rest/201103/the-doctor-is-drug?amp

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.