The Placebo Effect

THE PACEBUER PATENT, HEAL THYSELF PLACEBO: PLACEBO EFFECT a usually inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief than for any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering a placebo its actual effect on a disorder The first documented clinical use of HISTORY intentionally administered placebos was in 1785 "Placebo" was originally derogatory to describe treatment given by false physicians Recognition of the placebo effect led to defining protocols and controls for placebos HENRY K. BEECHER developed the "double unknown technique": today called "double-blind trial" Neither the doctor nor the patient knew whether or not treatment was a placebo This would provide control of psychological and other variables With new research methodology, the placebo has taken an active role in medical treatment Considered by some to be the key to understanding healing through medical ritual THE PATIENT & THE PLACEBO The placebo effect lasts longer when... D The medication is harder to obtain DIt is expensive > The doctor stresses the value of the medication Color matters blue is more effective for red is more effective for sleeping pills pain pills THEORIES OF PLACEBO MECHANISMS CONDITIONING EXPECTANCY Conditioning effects are the basis for placebo responses The human concepts of faith, hope and suggestion are conceptualized as cognitive expectancy Similar to Pavlov's dog, people are preconditioned to respond physically and physiologically to certain stimuli Belief that a treatment will be effective It also involves the human cognitive capacity for symbolism PLACEBO VARIES BY LOCATION&CULTURE Americans tend to give a lot of power to injected drugs Europeans react more positively to placebo pills Germany was found the least reactive to placebo pills for hypertension A placebo for treating ulcers worked much better in Germany than in Brazil TRUE PHYSIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS WEREN'T UNDERSTOOD UNTIL THE 19 70'S Estimates for the placebo cure rate range from: 15% 72% 1% 100% The longer the treatment and larger the number of physician visits, the greater the effect PLACEBO EFFECT IN ANIMALS HUMAN CONTACT (PLACEBO MECHANISM THEORY) The placebo effect in animals is thought to be a result of human contact Human contact elicits major changes in DBl0od pressure DAortic blood flow DCoronary blood flow in dogs DHeart rate in dogs CASE STUDY: CANINE EPILEPSY TRIALS Farm animals, such as dairy COWS, are more productive when handled gently Animals: 34 dogs with epilepsy Method: Record of the number of seizures per week Results: 79% that received placebo demonstrated a decrease in seizure frequency 29% showed a reduction of 50% or greater CONCLUSION: IHE POWER OF THE MIND IS JUST AS IMPORTANT TO HEALING AS THE TREATMENT WE RECEIVE Sources: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19912522 Presented by JAVMA volume 215, No. 7, October 1,1999 page 992 - 999 http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/01/the -placebo-phenomenon NursingSchoolHub.com http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/per1/webwn?s=placebo%20effect http://listverse.com/2013/02/16/10-crazy - facts-about-the-placebo-effect/ DEVELOPED BY N NOWSOURCING http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-sense/201201/the-placebo-effect-how-it-works http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201211/exploring-the -placebo-effect