One of the few magazines I read regularly is Prevention. As the years go by I’m finding news about staying healthy is becoming more and more relevant. Anyone else feel the same? During the last two issues, I’ve noticed a couple of articles pointing out how a missed diagnosis is often a problem, and that getting second opinions for serious issues is always a good idea. Bottom line? Medical care should be a partnership—not a passive surrender to outside authority. And if that’s true, then recognizing the power of placebos, the mind/body connection, and our own body’s inherent healing abilities is crucial. If we want to stay healthy and happy for as long as possible, it’s SMART to remember that our mind just might be a key medicine available to us all.
I have always been a big fan of the idea of placebos. What exactly is a placebo? In these days of “fake news,” it is important to differentiate placebos from fake medicine or remedies—but that is what often happens. To the contrary, placebos offer proof that healing can and does happen often with nothing more than a “sugar pill,” an imaginary surgery, or a sham injection. Whether we see these improvements as all in a person’s mind or a miracle, placebos are actually demonstrating the power of the body to return to homeostasis and “heal.” What triggers that innate ability? From everything I’ve studied, it boils down to the beliefs, expectations, and perceptions in each individual’s mind.
Unfortunately, placebos don’t always get the respect they deserve. Obviously, drug companies refer to them only in contrast to any new drug they hope to put on the market. In order to get FDA approval, drug companies must do clinical studies comparing their new drug to a placebo in order to demonstrate that their drug is better than doing nothing. Yet, not only does a placebo often do better than their new drug, the power of placebos is growing.
For example, research shows that in the 2000s the placebo response in relation to antidepressant drug trials registered twice as strong compared to similar drugs tested in the 1980s. In other words, twice the number people who were taking a placebo rather than the new drug being proposed felt much better and received expected benefits from sugar pills they thought were a new drug. These changing results are costing drug companies increased funds in order to prove the superiority of their drugs, so of course, they are not big fans. What’s behind the change? Speculation says it is because people now widely accept (and believe) that drugs can help with depression—so any pill, placebo or not, often brings relief.
Regrettably, most doctors aren’t fans of placebos either. Dr. Lisa Rankin admits in her book, Mind over Medicine that she was raised and educated in the traditional scientific world. Before doing her own research and writing her book, she confesses that nothing in her medical studies supported the idea of a mind/body connection. However, she eventually came to realize that, “Most doctors, if you get them away from their often critical and judgmental colleagues, will admit this: deep down, they believe that when it comes to the healing process, some crossover between the mystical and the physiological is at play and that the common ground that connects the two is the great and powerful mind.”
Dr. Ellen Langer, who I have written about before, is also a big proponent of the mind/body connection and the power of placebos. Dr. Langer believes that it is essential that we all learn to take control of our own health. A key to that control is recognizing that doctors indeed know more about health in general than most of us do, but individually we know more about ourselves than anyone else. Through all her studies of the mind/body connection, Langer believes, “I have come to believe less and less that biology is destiny. It is not primarily our physical selves that limit us but rather our mindset about our physical limits. Now I accept none of the medical wisdom regarding the courses our diseases must take as necessarily true.”
But where does that leave us? Even those doctors who are currently studying the placebo response are wary. In fact, after reading dozens of articles about the power of placebos, I get the impression that doctors are convinced that if we suddenly start realizing how much power and control we have to influence our own health, we won’t need them anymore. And from what I can tell, much of the current research focuses on how doctors can now learn to specialize in “placebo” prescriptions.
Also, drug companies are attempting to figure out how to make and market a brand of placebos to “use them in conjunction” with traditional procedures. This all points out how conditioned we are to “over-medicalize” our world. What does that mean? According to Langer, over-medicalization means that we label all our experiences and conditions according to a medical condition or syndrome—where every challenge or difficulty becomes a disability, and every sensation becomes a symptom. Instead, many people want to believe that our ability to heal belongs in the hands of an expert. Behind it all is the desire to put the responsibility for our good health, or our bad health, in someone else’s hands rather than our own. And don’t get me started on drug companies trying to figure out how to make money on something we can do for ourselves.
This line of thinking isn’t an attempt to make people feel guilty when they get sick. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t experienced an illness or physical issue at one time or another, so there is no blame here. Instead, by accepting some responsibility for the creation of a condition, we also hold some power to improve and sometimes heal the condition as well.
Of course, in order for that to happen, we must be deeply aware that our mind, body, and emotions are all connected. And while most of us recognize that our bodies don’t feel that good whenever we are upset, fearful, angry or stressed out—we somehow disassociate that awareness with how it affects our long-term health. But we should. As Dr. Rankin says, “It’s not enough to focus solely on the body without taking the time to account the health of the mind. Promoting health of the body without encouraging health of the mind is an exercise in futility.”
Where do placebos fit in all this? I could literally fill dozens of more blog posts with studies showing the power of placebos. Documentation ranges from simple things like a person who believes they are touching poison ivy breaking out in hives, blood glucose normalizing after receiving sugar pills, and a young man with debilitating migraines who was dramatically healed by putting on his doctor’s homemade helmet. But all of those stories sound fabricated unless we are willing to accept how placebos work.
Just about everyone who studies placebos sees the power coming from a combination of belief, perception, and expectation. Dr. Bruce Lipton takes that a bit further by saying that the brain registers perception, but it is the mind that determines and interprets belief. Then, according to Rankin, “It all kept coming back to the hormones and neurotransmitters the brain spits out, depending on whether the mind interprets something as positive (as it does with the placebo effect) or negative (as it does with the nocebo effect).”
As you have probably guessed, the nocebo response is when a person takes something or does something expecting it to be harmful. In many cases, the body then proves the mind correct. For example, if you eat something you believe will give you a stomachache, a headache or any other symptom, your body will do its best to give you those sensations.
Dr. Rankin explains the foundation behind placebos by saying, “When our beliefs are hopeful and optimistic, the mind releases chemicals that put the body in a state of physiological rest, primarily controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system, and in this state of rest, the body’s natural self-repair mechanisms are free to get to work fixing what’s broken in the body. “
In other words, the reasons that placebos work is because when we have hope and optimistically believe that we are feeling relief and getting better (whether it comes from a doctor, a surgery or our own ministrations), our body’s produce the chemicals needed to either reduce pain or help us to get into a relaxed state where our body can then begin to return to a normal healthy state.
However, if a person doesn’t believe there is hope, trust in the procedure, or is thinking other negative thoughts about their condition, their body perceives any actions or remedies we undergo as a threat. This elicits a “stress response.” Rankin says about this state, “When the body’s stress responses are activated, the body isn’t concerned with long-term issues like cellular rejuvenations, self-repair, and fighting the effects of aging.” In the stress response state of mind, we stay keyed into a fight or flight mode and that does not aid a healing or healthy body.
Obviously knowing all this is very beneficial but if you are like me you forget about the mind/body connection and the power of placebos all the time. Fortunately, according to Rankin, there are things we can do. She suggests:
- Consciously program yourself (and those you love) to remember that your body knows how to stay healthy and most of the time will return to that state if you let it. Of course, you should never deny adequate medical care when necessary—but see medical staff as partners, not the solution.
- Be mindful of medical hexing. If a doctor gives you a negative diagnosis, run (not walk) to the nearest exit. Trust and appreciation of your medical team and their recommendations are vital to your healing. Oh, and getting a second or third opinion is always SMART!
- What your doctor believes is nearly as important as what you believe about your healing. According to a study quoted by Rankin, “If the doctor doesn’t believe a certain treatment will work, the treatment may actually be less effective.”
- Be open to alternative medicine treatments because most of them will help trigger your relaxation response and reduce stress in the body. Remember, anything that can help your body heal itself can be beneficial.
- Never believe that you can separate your health from the health of your mind or your life experiences. When sick, ask yourself, “What do you think might be at the root of your illness? Then ask, “What does your body need in order to heal?”
- Regardless of the way you do it, quieting and calming the mind puts our minds and bodies in the relaxation response—which leads to better healing.
- Find ways to regularly activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Rankin suggests anything that feeds your soul like laughter, playing with pets, journaling, prayer, napping, yoga, spending time in nature and more.
I realize I’ve covered a lot of ground in this post but more than anything I think it is SMART for all of us to remember the connection and power of our mind and bodies when it comes to maintaining good health. As Rankin says, “The body is a miracle waiting to happen, if only we optimize its ability to do what it’s made to do naturally.” Ultimately, the secret to good health isn’t really a secret at all because the best solution is available within us all the time.
“It’s supposed to be a professional secret, but I’ll tell you anyway. We doctors do nothing. We only help and encourage the doctor within.” ~Albert Schweitzer, M.D.
Interesting post, agree with what you have mentioned. Mind is powerful and what we tell ourselves all the time is very important. I too believe in Placebo affect. I have seen how it works that people who go to a doctor ( for a pill and a prick:) )believing that he will heal and find themselves healed, and checking with the doctor we understand that he has just given some vitamins through injection and whole lot of pills, its the belief of the person that brings about healing. I enjoyed reading this post, I have visited your page after a long time and I felt good reading a nice post, thank you for sharing !
Hi G Angela! So nice to hear from you. I haven’t been to your great blog in a while either–so many wonderful writers and bloggers out here in the world–sometimes it is hard to find the time, huh? But I do follow you on Facebook and love to see your photos and bits about your life in your part of the world. Glad you liked this post and as for all of the readers, may it remind us all of the amazing abilities of our bodies and minds when it comes to healing. ~Kathy
Hi, Kathy – Thank you for another informative and inspirational post! Like your other readers, I totally believe in the power of the mind to heal our bodies. It is an incredible experience to witness this in action! And thank you again for your guest post on my site last week. You were a very popular guest!
Hi Donna! Yes isn’t it always more powerful when we have an up close and personal example of how the mind/body connection works? And THANK YOU for allowing me to guest post on your site last week. I’m so glad your peeps liked some of my information. And because it sounds to me that you have your own version of rightsizing going on in your life, I would love to have a guest post from you next time I’m going to be traveling. Let’s talk okay? ~Kathy
I’ve never considered using placebos in my long journey towards a healing life style. But I do believe that we all have the capabilities to keep ourselves healthy, and to heal ourselves when the mind or body is disturbed and illness occurs. I love to discover the connections between our mind and body, and to track how an event might have happened. I’m seldom ill, but did suffer an intense head cold this spring, which resulted in a blocked eustacian tube in my ear. I’m scheduled to go to a specialist next week, after months of waiting. Meanwhile, I consulted alternate therapists, including a Chinese doctor, who not only performed acupuncture on me, but also introduced me to the idea of meridians in the body, and how body parts are associated with each other. My ear is still blocked, but is slowly healing by itself. It has been a major learning experience, and I’m curious about what the specialist will say—but I doubt that I’ll allow him to perform the standard treatment, which is to ‘puncture the tube’ and drain it!
Hi Diane. Like I said in the post, it is really easy for us to forget what placebos really point to and just think of them as fake medicine. I’ll bet the drug companies like that huh? But it sounds like you’ve had a great example of how you can often heal (or at least influence) your own health if we give it time and try other things. Good for you for exploring different options while you are waiting AND most especially, choosing to see the experience as one of learning more about yourself and how your health works. I’m hoping that your ear clears up very soon! Thanks for sharing your own personal experience. ~Kathy
The mind is powerful, wonderful. I believe in placebos and from my experience when my mother died, I also believe that we have some control over our own death. Your post is beautifully researched and presented. Me
Hi Beth! I so agree that the mind/body connection is also confirmation that we do have influence over how we make our transition (I’ve always preferred the word “transition” rather than death because it reminds me that we never just “end” we just move on to something else!) My father proved that to me when he moved on and I plan to do my best to follow his example. If your mother did too, they taught us something amazing. Thanks so much for your comment. ~Kathy
This post signifies one of the neatest things about being human (to me): the ability to use the great power of your mind to effect a change in your reality.
In this case, as the quote says, “…the brain registers perception, but it is the mind that determines and interprets belief. Then, according to Rankin, “It all kept coming back to the hormones and neurotransmitters the brain spits out…” When I took Mom to Kaiser Pain Management (the introduction only; she couldn’t attend the classes), they indicated they were VERY into this. That the goal was partly to become aware of our ability to change the way we let our mind react to the perception or anticipation of pain. I love Kaiser for thinking like this, and sharing it.
But the implications for things beyond pain are staggering! Many other examples are found in “Kitchen Table Wisdom” by Dr. Rachel Remen, and “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Frankl.
Thanks, Kathy, for another empowering post.
Hi Lynne! Wow! That’s great to hear that Kaiser Pain Management is teaching this to their patients! Isn’t it easy to forget that our individual minds are the ones that “interpret” pain. When I had major gall bladder complications a few years ago the doctor told me that he couldn’t believe that I had been living with that condition and the corresponding pain for so long. I agreed it was uncomfortable but because I had been trying lots of alternative healing methods first it just didn’t seem that bad to me. (which maybe in retrospect wasn’t the smartest!) Or what about childbirth. From what I’ve heard it hurts like hell, but then how many women turn around and have another child anyway 🙂 In many cases we decide the pain level. And oh yes, I loved reading “Kitchen Table Wisdom” and Frankl is always inspiring. As always, thanks for your thoughts on this. ~Kathy
Being a normally happy and positive person, I still can’t make my broken metacarpal fix itself any faster. I do believe that being positive heals most ailments to a degree. My problem is I can’t (or won’t) stop doing things that stress my right hand. Luckily I’m not in a cast, rather, wearing a brace I can remove. But even with all this, I realized I had to slow myself down a LOT. My 32-daughter year old daughter stopped her CrossFit regimen for two weeks after she sprained her finger. She couldn’t believe I was still going to the gym and walking/elliptical, etc with a broken bone. So after hearing that, I decided to be kind to myself and reduce my exercise. The break needs to heal (as I slap my good hand against my forehead)!!
Hi Terri! Please know this post isn’t about any of us beating ourselves up if we are going through a health challenge! Even so, that is a very normal reaction that I do my best not to replicate. Instead it is looking at the experience and being willing to ask ourselves, is there something I can do differently that might help or at least not lead to the same result again? I had an infection a couple of weeks ago that forced me to take antibiotics which I really, really dislike doing but I had tried all the other things and nothing “more natural” was helping. So I took them, along with LOTS of probiotics, and I’m better. My point is that I believe there are a couple of things I can at least try differently in the future so I’m not in that position again. And I really love believing that my body knows how to maintain good health if I “cooperate.” So I know you’ve been going through a challenge with your wrist but it sounds like you have identified areas of self-care that just might be the key. I think part of the problem is we “think we should know better” than to let something happen. instead, let’s just be as kind to ourselves as we would be to anyone we love. (and listen to your daughter!!!) ~Kathy
Disease or dis-ease? I’m a huge proponent of the mind/body connection. Like Langer, I’m not convinced that biology need be my destiny. So far, I’ve avoided hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, cancer & heart disease unlike what was written in my family history. I often heard from participants in prenatal classes – but the doctor knows best, right? The fellows caught on in a hurry when I asked if they took their Fords to the Chev dealership for repairs; they’re all mechanics, right? And doctors don’t always know or believe. A doctor whom I worked with used to say that people lived and died in spite of what we do sometimes. So true. And personally, I know that I suffered less from joint/muscle problems when I got my head in a better space.
Hi Mona! Thank you so much for adding your personal experience about this. I had to laugh when I saw that you ask your doctors, “I asked if they took their Fords to the Chev dealership for repairs; their all mechanics right?” Because that is EXACTLY what my very senior Thyroid specialist told me when I complained that every other doctor I went to freaked out when they read my thyroid panel. He told me, “Ah, doctors today. They are all mechanics!” And while I hope and pray that there are many good doctors out there doing “mindful” medicine, I’m afraid there are many that are just that. And behind it all is each of us remembering that we are the only ones that have our own best interest at heart no matter what. Thanks again for your thoughts. ~Kathy
That drug companies would try to find a way to profit from the use of placebos (“If you can’t beat them, join them”) is shocking… but not unexpected.
The mind/body is a powerful partnership and I’ve experienced personally the ability to self heal.
Hi Janis! I doubt any of us should be surprised to learn that the drug companies are trying to work an angle on placebos, right? I also read that doctors are afraid that the power of a placebo might have us feeling so good about our health that we don’t do what is necessary (in their opinion of course) and that we will avoid or delay important treatment instead. And while I can imagine a few cases where that might be problematic, but in most cases don’t most of us want to feel better about our health and avoid pain first and foremost anyway. If we can feel better without pain, isn’t that important? Of course, I’m all about quality rather than quantity–like I’d rather live a few quality years than a long time with major problems and pain. It’s just really important for us to know we have options right? Thanks for your input on this! ~Kathy
Great stuff Kathy! I am a strong proponent of being ones one health advocate. If you are diagnosed for example with high cholesterol and all you want to do is take a pill than no complaining about side effects or costs. If on the other hand you want to look at your diet and your life style and explore options that can reduce your levels with out drugs, there is the mind and body equation. Of course no guarantees it will work but a try to a more natural solution is I think the best remedy.
Hi Haralee! I get that we’ve all been conditioned to believe that a “doctor knows best” but that so often leads us away from exploring other options. Of course, the few times I’ve had medical “issues” it’s nice to think we can just turn it over to someone else to fix. Unfortunately, the longer we live I think we start noticing that the experts don’t always have all the answers and that we can’t just pretend we aren’t part of the equation. Far better IMHO to accept some responsibility so that I can at least continue to hope that I can make changes or at least decisions that can lead me back to health. And I don’t know about you, but considering that my body is my friend rather than something that is working against me, has to be a better alternative. Thanks for your thoughts on this and YES to going as natural as possible. ~Kathy
It’s all about what we believe, isn’t it, Kathy. And I know the placebo effect so well, I always take into account what I’m thinking and feeling when tackling any illness.
This really tweaked me, though: “If the doctor doesn’t believe a certain treatment will work, the treatment may actually be less effective.” Interesting!
I recently read another study about knee replacements. They had two groups: one that had the replacement, one that was told they did. In the second group, they even cut, as if the surgery had been done.
A year later, the group that actually didn’t have the procedure was doing far better than the one that did.
I remember this anytime I think of my health!
Love this post. Thank you!
Hi Susan! Thanks for bringing up that study about the knee replacements. It is really one of the more relevant studies that were done (especially for our age group)! And one of the other wonderful things about placebos (be they pills or imagination surgeries) is that there are none of the significant side effects that come from real drugs and/or surgeries. Naturally, those are sometimes the best alternative, but I do believe it’s so important for us to at least have the awareness that there are many options–not just the first one that a “specialist” recommends. Thanks for checking in on this! ~Kathy