"I don't care what people say - it works for me".
Ointments, potions,lotions and pills - how do we know that the medicine we are taking actually works on our body rather than our brain simply telling us that we are better?
Here is a link to a review of a new book called Snake Oil Science by R. Barker Bausell.
Read this, or the rather longer article about the placebo effect at http://www.skepdic.com/placebo.html
Post a comment on what you have read- your own opinions and ideas, drawn from your cultural and educational background. What knowledge issues arise from your reading? Can you make links between the ideas explored and any of the areas of knowledge?
You should all have posted a comment by next Tuesday - December 1st. Happy reading!
10 comments:
the artical is interesting and shows that aour mind has significant effect on our perception. placebos may be a short term solution but should never be the considered a valid replacement.
I think that the placebo effect is a good solution to a lot of the problems, but only to an extent. It is much easier to use medicine that actually helps as well as having an expectation for it to work rather than just something random.
One of the knowledge issues that i have noticed is that the author of the article assumes that everybody thinks of placebos as something negative. Another part of the article that seemed a little weird was at the end when the author writes, "Pure scientists might shudder at this advice, but Sarah’s son-in-law knows better." If more than one 'pure scientist' disagrees with Dr. Bausell, then it should be taken into consideration.
For the moment I have only read the review of the book. Though the placebo effect may be scientifically ridiculous, if it actually works for people without requiring antibiotics or steroids or other harmful drugs - then why not?! It’s safe and useful for those who believe in it.
However, the problem with placebos is mentioned in the article. They work for a short period of time only. As soon as the person loses trust/interest from them, I guess they are no longer beneficial and a new alternative has to be found.
I think it is sensible to ask where all these theories about placebos arise from. They are mainly passed on from generations through language and experience. Sense perception can be argued because what we perceive through our senses may just be our expectation of the placebo – not its actual affect.
Personally, I believe in the placebo effect to an extent; though I think that some alternative medicines actually work. My last year’s personal project was based on Home remedies (alternative medicines) – which DO work! They provide natural vitamins/nutrients which maintain a good overall health.
The whole world is not stupid to just believe in medicines that do not work! Conclusion: Placebo effects work to an extent.
There are so many problems with placebo's i do not think they should be trusted. In my opinion, there is not enough evidence that shows that they do work better than the medicine we have learnt to trust for years. Also, the article talks a lot about how it 'doesn't help many people' or 'the experiments performed were not high quality.'
I just did not like this article at all, and i do not think that this is replacement for the medicine that has actually been tested on people and worked.
From the two articles which I have read, I would say that Placebo effect works to an extent. Placebo effect may be beneficial at some point, but it would not be a long term effect, which is a problem. This is not the first time I hear about the placebo effect. There have been many studies to check the placebo effect. One of them, I cannot exactly remember where it was, but was based on two groups in a hospital. Both groups were sick for the same reason. So the doctor told gave both groups a medicine to take and said they will be cured soon. However, the second group did not receive actual medicine. Instead of medicine, the doctor gave sugar pills. In a week or so, they found out that both groups got cured. This showed that once the patient believed that the medicine he is given will cure his illness, and then it will work. Though, this kind of study surprised me at the beginning and I agreed with it, I still think that someone could have been biased. By this I mean that even if these people got cured, it does not mean that it was due to the placebo effect. There are other factors that could have affected it, which is exactly what is being discussed in the “Placebo effect” article. Kienle and Kiene (1997) found “no evidence of any placebo effect in any of the studies cited by Beecher”. They stated that improvements in health were due to other factors which gave a “false impression of placebo effects”. How do they even know there is a placebo effect? If the patient’s health got better, how can they assure that it was the placebo effect?
However, it can also be argued that it is the placebo effect improving the patient’s health. The scientists have done so many experiments, and found out that verbal instructions is what made the patients believe in the medicine they received and get better soon.
In my opinion, even if there is a placebo effect, it does not mean that it will cure all the illnesses or most. To certain point, maybe. However, there is a reason why there are so many medicines which have been produced, because placebo effect would be a short term effect. So we cannot just rely on the placebo effect, and say everything will be fine.
It seems to me that the placebo effect is seriously overrated. I mean, even if it helps the patients get rid of their illnesses, why should we discuss it as if it is a serious issue. I don't think that it is. Placebo effects do seem to be helpful, but to an extent, so then when the symptoms come back, the patient can get a real treatment. I fail to see how placebos have a negative effect on people. The knowledge issue that i found is that placebo effects seem to be presented in a negative light. In my opinion if a person chooses to mislead himself/herself into thinking that whatever remedy helps them (as long as it doesn't make them feel worse) so be it. However, when the effect wears off, the "right" medications can be applied. Another problem that i found in this article is how the author relies a lot on the "studies-at least the good ones". Who is he to decide whether the study is good or not, and the author of the book that he "promotes", can we trust him as well? Again, i think that people have their own minds and most of them are able to decide for themselves what they should believe in.
the placebo affect seems to be a viable short term solution. the brain can be stimulated to believe that it is getting real medicine that will help the individual get better which may trigger a response where you body is able to self heal. this is only however affective if the patient believes in it.
the brain can heal all sorts of problems in the individuals body, however the placebo effect may not always have a positive effect. so i think that placebos are only effective to an extent.
I think that the placebo effect does not cause any harm and can be a good cure for some illnesses. The problem with it, based on the information in the text, is that it works as long as the patient hopes and believes it will, but as the patients get used to it they stop using real medicine which is bad. So, in my opinion, the placebo effect is good only for using temporary use.
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