Download Healing Is In The Headxe

Healing Is In The Head
Presented by
Mili, Selma,& Wesam
Mission Statement
 To
inform and educate people and provide
an overview on how placebos and placebo
effects impact on clinical practice. Our
goal is to promote knowledge and benefits
of this healing science wherever the
human race exists and the suffering
prevails.
Introduction

The phenomenon of placebo effect is not fully
understood by science, but there has been
clinical evidence of its presence. Research
shows that the placebo effect can be greater and
is far more ubiquitous than commonly thought.

Placebo meaning an inert treatment, given as if
it was a real treatment, means lots of different
things to different people. Rather than figuring
placebo as deception, we advance the
hypothesis that placebo can empower patients,
and trigger self-healing.
What is Placebo Effect ?

According to wikipedia, Placebo effect is the
term applied by medical science to the
therapeutical and healing effects of inert
medicines and/or ritualistic or faith healing
manipulations. When referring to medicines,
placebo is a preparation which is
pharmacologically inert but which may have
a therapeutical effect based solely on the
power of suggestion.
What is Placebo Effect
cont.


Video about placebo effect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC
t3eRJYUa0
How can it be explained?
 The word placebo literally means “I will please” in Latin. A
placebo is an inactive substance that has no treatment
value. The placebo effect is the measurable, observable,
or felt improvement in health not attributable to an actual
treatment. It seems that it is the result of the patient's
expectation of an effect.
 Placebos have been a fake treatment, an inactive
substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution
given to people in place of real medications. The placebo
effect also called placebo response occurs when a
patient believes they are improving because they know
they are receiving medical treatment, though no true
improvement in symptoms occurs. The placebo effect is
triggered by the person's belief in the treatment and their
expectation of feeling better, rather than the specific form
the placebo takes.
Types of Placebo
Placebos takes many forms : It can be
inert (devoid of any action) such as a
sugar pill, active, (that actually have
actions) or orally consumed substance
(sometimes termed a dummy), a
procedure or a situation.
What Causes the Placebo
Effect?

It is believed that the placebo effect is
psychological, due to a delusion on the part of
the subject that the treatment will work. The
patient's beliefs and expectations seem to have
a significant biochemical effect or you can say it
may invoke a "conditioned response" as studied
by Ivan Pavlov. We are conditioned to believe
that medicine makes us better when we're ill, so
any treatment that we receive may make us
psychologically confirm this belief. The empathy,
encouragement and support given by the care
provider also constitute this psychological belief.
Examples
•
One patient stands out in the memory of Stephen Straus, M.D., for her remarkable
recovery, more than 10 years ago, from chronic fatigue syndrome. The woman, then in
her 30s, was "very significantly impaired," says Straus, chief of the Laboratory of
Clinical Investigation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "She
had no energy, couldn't work, and spent most of her time at home." But her strength
was restored during a study to test the effectiveness of an experimental chronic fatigue
drug. Like many drug studies, the chronic fatigue medication trial was a "placebocontrolled" study, meaning that a portion of the patients took the experimental drug,
while others took look-alike pills with no active ingredient, with neither researchers nor
patients knowing which patients were getting which. She and her parents were so
thrilled with her recovery that they were blessing Stephen Straus and his colleagues.
•
Just recently one of my peer Amber participated in a sleep study. Everyone who
participated in the study was unknowingly divided into two main groups. The group
she was in took placebo pills or sugar pills. The other group took the drug being
tested. She took the pill for two weeks and was amazed at how much better she was
sleeping at night. Little did she know that her pill was a fraud!
•
A study in England was done where 100 men were told that they were taking
chemotherapy, when in actuality they were taking inactive saline solution. 20% of these
men lost their hair, demonstrating the power of the belief of effects of the treatment.
Positive Effects
Placebos may lack actual chemical functioning, but it has
been documented that 30-40% of patients experience the
positive effects of placebo.
Placebos have been known to treat angina pectoris,
hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, reflux oesophagitis,
asthma, allergies, flu symptoms, sleep disorders, sea
sickness, and nocturnal enuresis (Weihrauch, Gauler, 1999).
Treating pain and affective disorders such as depression,
bipolar disorder, mania, and anxiety disorders are areas
where placebos seem to have the greatest effect.
One of the positive effects of placebo is the effect of
expectation. People who expect to get better have a better
chance of actually getting better than those who don't.
Negative Effects


It should also be noted that the effects of
Placebo are not always positive. Placebos in
many patients have been linked to side effects,
some of which are severe fainting spells and
cardiac dysfunction Wiehrauch, Gauler,1999).
Some consider that the cures due to the placebo
effect perpetuate the use of ineffective and
irrational medicinal therapeutic procedures, as
those used in the so-called "alternative
medicine".
Why people use
alternative medicine?
 People like to use alternative medicine because of
various reasons. Conventional medicine is not always
perfect and it can have many side effects. In regards to
that, a lot of people don’t trust conventional medicine
and instead use alternative medicine. Another likely
reason why people might want to use alternative
medicine is because it matches their culture or beliefs.
Many people hold new-age ideas and philosophies.
They believe that alternative medicine is more of a
natural kind of healing and believe that everything
“natural” is somehow better for us.
Is prescribing placebos ethical or
unethical?
 Prescribing placebos can either be ethical or unethical.
 It can be considered ethical because it actually makes the patient
think that it’s helpful. Patients are led into believing that the
healing process has started and they automatically develop a
healthier or happier feeling which ultimately causes the patient to
truly feel that way. It is a very effective mind-game that certainly
could help many people get over certain sickness or feelings. At
the same time, placebos do not contain any ingredients that could
possibly cause any side-effects, unlike real prescription. Another
reason why prescribing placebos can be ethical is because not
only does it make the patient think mentally that it helps, but also
because doctors can use these treatments to study the human
mind and its effectiveness. Prescribing placebos can help doctors
and scientists learn more about the human mind and use it.
However, prescribing placebos can also be unethical in lifethreatening or serious situations.
Conclusion
• Sometimes we no longer know what is true for us, in
which direction our own integrity lies; coming to
recognize and accept that we have in us both sides of
everything. We are capable of fear and courage,
generosity and selfishness, vulnerability and strength.
These things do not cancel each other out but offer us a
full range of power and response to life “Healing is in the
Head”. We cannot deny the fact that placebos have
shown, it can provide the clearest insight into what a
treatment can accomplish, the use of placebos have
often lead to substantial improvement.
• Rather than accepting placebo as a deception, we
advance the speculation that placebo can empower
patients, and trigger self-healing, an additional reason
why prescribing placebos can be ethical is because not
only does it make the patient think mentally that it helps,
but also it can also be viewed as a source of insight into
mental health.
Contact Information
The Tampa Clinic
1265 W. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, Fl 33620
Phone (813) 748-2556