The Placebo effect

physchology behind it
1. a placebo causes the release of dopamine just like a normal drug would
2. the expectations of pain relief causes the brain to produce and natural painkiller (of opioids)
3. starts off with being psychological - if person knew they were just taking a sugar pill then the biology behind the placebo effect wouldn't occur
Biology behind it
1. hormone responses
  1. the release of endorphins - similar structure to morphine.
    1. the brains natural painkiller
2. reversing the placebo effect (antagonising)
  1. naloxone - an opioid antagonist which can block the placebo effect
    1. it's supposed to be a psychological effect so how comes you can take a drug that blocks it?
    2. the pain reduction responses in the brain casued by the placebo effect are reduced
    3. 'you are the placebo effect' book
3. can't actually cure you - not going to reduce amount of cholestoral in your blood etc, just makes you feel better
  1. can actually make you perform better in terms of sport
4. effect on body vs effect on head
Nocebo effect
1. when people are told at a clinical trial the possible side effects they may experience, people only taking the placebo often feel the side effects too
  1. 25% of patients experience symptoms
  2. reports of fatigue, sickness, dizziness, loss of memory etc, when only taken a sugar pill and there is no way the drug has casued these symptoms
2. a voodoo curse - victim may die due to the belief in the curse even though there's nothing there
  1. superstition
    1. if you don't do what you believe you should do then you experience the placebo effect (you believe something bad will happen so it does)
    2. however, the world around isn't changing - is the reason someone experiences bad luck when they believe they will because they notice this things more readily (and associate it with the thing that happened to give them bad luck)?
optimising the placebo effect
1. some work better than others
  1. red work better than white
    1. red also better at treating pain
    2. blue better at treating mental health - anxiety
  2. capsules better than tablets
  3. the greater the pain then the greater the placebo effect
  4. more expensive tablets work better
placebo effect in animals
1. If the placebo effect is just psychological, how come it also works in animals?
  1. Dogs and mice
  2. due to the owners?
homeopathy
1. The way in which some people believe the more you dilute a drug, the greater its powers to treat symptoms
2. Is it anything other than just the placebo effect?
3. NHS England recommended GPs should stop providing it
  1. Should homeopathy be funded by the NHS
    1. Should packets include side effects - this may just increase the chance of the nocebo effect?
possible experiment?
1. could do an experiment with caffienated coffee and decaffinated coffee
  1. pulse rate increasing?
  2. concentration/accuracy levels change?
use in medical research
1. used to determine whether or not the new treatment actually has a real effect and that it's not just the placebo effect (clinical trials)
2. should it be used to treat pain?
Ethics
1. Is the fact that patients are being lied to an issue?
  1. Cheaper than normal medication, still feel better

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The Placebo effect

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	Created by Rebecca Spooner over 6 years ago