Placebo Power!

I was flipping through my latest copy of Wired magazine when I found a very interesting article about placebos. As I read through the article I found myself intrigued by the neuroscience and medical science that was involved in the studies. It immediately made me think of James Linden’s book “The Accidental Mind”. I knew that Wired is a very credible magazine for cutting edge stories in technology and science. They also market the magazine to interest and intrigue people like myself, who are very interested in the advancements in sciences. They have always been very credible and back up all of their stories with testimonials, research and experts. The amount of information that was being conveyed really opened my eyes to how capable our bodies are at fixing themselves.
The placebo effect. For those of you who are unsure a placebo is a faux drug, something fake with no real substance that is used to trick the mind or body into believing it is taking a real drug. The idea of the placebo has been around for a very long time and has been used for many things. The concept of using a placebo was actually born out of necessity. Although the topic is debated the general consensus says that placebo usage began in World War II. A nurse was assisting an anesthesiologist by the name of Henry Beecher. They were in charge of assisting the wounded who were under heavy German bombardment while storming the beaches in southern Italy. As their supply of morphine began to run shockingly low the Beecher’s nurse replaced her syringe of morphine with a syringe of salt water. She assured the soldiers that they were being injected with morphine and the injection of salt water relieved the soldier’s pain and stopped the onset of shock. After the war Beecher decided to continue his studies in the field of medicine at Harvard University. Using his nurse’s tactics as a backbone for his research he created a method to test new drugs to see whether the medicine was truly effective. Eventually in 1955 Beecher submitted a paper called “The Powerful Placebo” to The Journal of the American Medical Association. Beecher’s focus for the paper was how the placebo was able to destroy the results of over a dozen trials of drugs whose results were actually due to the placebo effect not the medicine itself.
As I said before this is a very old topic so how can it possibly be considered contemporary science? Well new studies are out saying that the placebo response is becoming stronger. This is where the studies become very interesting. The human brain has the ability to release analgesics (painkillers) into the body via opioids. These are typically released under conditions of stress or anxiety to help calm the body. through many years of study and documentation it is found that our body’s natural painkillers can help with much more than just pain, for example they can help modulate heart rate and blood pressure and even relieve depression. Another product in the brain caused by the consumption of placebos is dopamine. This release of dopamine can help with anything from increasing motor skills in Parkinson’s patients, relieve insomnia, cure depression, improve digestive disorders, and also limit the secretion of stress related hormones like insulin or cortisol.
After learning this information I decided to delve further into my topic. I went online and searched for more stories about this and what it means for the world of medicine. I found a great article on the MSNBC website (which can be found here) that goes into detail about how the modern doctor is tapping into the power of the placebo. It also covers how science and technology is using what we know to tap into our body’s own healing powers. This article was written to be informative and for the general public so it is easy to understand and explain and it is backed up by professionals working in the field.
The first page of this article offered the same anecdotal type information about the general practices of the placebo. After that came the very interesting portion about how neuroscientists are examining the brain waves of people under the effects of a placebo to better understand how the brain functions. In the case study cited patients were given placebos for about a week, being told they were antidepressants. They were then switched to more placebo or actual medication. What was found was that the people who got the most benefit from the medication had a specific type of brain wave pattern when they were being treated with the placebos. This is really valuable information to know for prescribing anti-depressants. The article mentioned how they wanted to utilize the data in such a way that they could test patients prior to diagnosing a solution, cutting down on incorrect or mistaken prescriptions. The candidates would only have a specific pattern of brain waves so it would be easy and very functional to diagnose. Furthermore there was a case where a group of people are taking the idea of the placebo to a new level. They are teaching the art of self healing. The old mantra of “if you think you will get better, you will get better” is being employed here. The idea behind the self healing is to get the benefits of a placebo without ever taking the pill. It is tapping into the body’s ability to heal itself without the use of any outside force.
The news in both sources is very accurate and both make great sense. The reporting was done very well and I feel like the two had a similar, journalistic style. The science seems very sound and the studies are remarkable. The results that are being uncovered are simply amazing and I find the information to be both cutting edge and relevant to our studies. The scientists that are cited in the stories are well renowned and the further I delve into the subject the more credible the information becomes. Below there is a link for the Stanford Institute of Medicine about the effects of a placebo and the results are just as interesting. This is becoming a big story and I believe will change the medical field.
This is going to matter to all of us. In relation to this class we started the year by talking about how society reacts to technology. Well this could very well change modern medicine completely and thus change our society. The body is a very capable unit that can heal itself if given the right nudge. If we can grasp how to exactly make our bodies react to a certain placebo essentially eliminating the use of drugs from our culture. With that happening the entire economy, healthcare system and giant pharmaceutical companies will have to completely evolve. Placebos are cheap, easy to make and are just as effective as most brand name drugs. Taking the time to fully understand this can completely evolve our culture and how we heal, can make the economy either tank or bulge depending on how these are marketed and we can overall be a healthier society. When you combine all of those results and realize it is from a simple little sugar pill and some neuroscience that is something pretty revolutionary in my mind.
Other useful links: Wiki, things the pharmacies don't want you to know The Wired Article



Citations:
Silberman, Steve. "The Placebo Problem." Wired Sep. 2009: 129-136. Print.

Carroll, Linda. "Placebo's Power Goes Beyond The Mind." MSNBC. 21 Aug 2006. MSNBC, Web. 13 Sep 2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14309026//