The medical community has known for ages that placebos (or sugar pills) can often have as much effect on a patient as actual medications. But up until the 1990s, relatively few studies had been done to investigate how the placebo effect works.
The Public Library of Science and Medicine has recently published a study suggesting that children are 50% more likely to respond favorably to a placebo than adults. So far researchers have no working theory to explain the discrepancy, only vague speculations.
It’s not surprising, though, that researchers do not understand the different reaction to placebos by children. In fact, medical science knows very little about how placebos work in anyone. The placebo effect has been a mystery in medical science for ages– so much so, that many researchers are content to simply turn the other way, rather than attempt to explain how and why it works.
And of course, the other factor confusing research around placebos is the simple fact that they do not always work. Why do some people respond very favorably to placebos, and others seem to receive no benefit at all? Delving into these questions is frustrating for scientist who are used to mathematics and practical physics — things that either work or they don’t.
In some ways the exploration of the placebo effect is more the realm of philosophy or even theology, than science. Philosophers, for example, have theorized that a placebo effect only takes place in individuals who have a strong belief (or faith) that it will work. While to some this theory may sound “metaphysical” or even like something out of a new-age workshop, the scientific community readily admits that they really don’t have a better idea.
Recent medical research has dared to explore the concepts of perception and suggestion, attempting to establish a workable hypothesis about how placebos actually affect patients. One study found that, contrary to popular belief, the effects of placebos are not “all in your head.” Researchers using CT brain scans found that patients who were given a placebo and told it was a strong pain reliever actually produced a flood of natural pain relievers like dopamine and serotonin in the brain.
These results clearly demonstrate that the placebo effect is not just an emotional or psychological phenomenon, but also a physical phenomenon that produces tangible effects within the body. This mind-body connection has eluded scientists for centuries, but it is becoming increasingly clear that medical science will need to embrace the power of suggestion and belief in order to advance medical science.
