Very interesting and powerful BBC video called The Placebo Effect:
https://dai.ly/x6usafs
(quite a few ads in the vid but well worth watching)
Summary:
https://dai.ly/x6usafs
(quite a few ads in the vid but well worth watching)
Summary:
- Trials involving placebos for pain relief have shown the participants brains release natural opioids that provide opioid-mediated pain control
- Dr. Michael Mosley devised a placebo trial for people with chronic back pain. After three weeks, 45 percent reported feeling significant improvement or complete pain relief
- At the final follow-up at the end of Week 4, 70 percent of those who reported improvement at Week 3 and continued taking the pills continued to benefit even though they knew they were taking a placebo
- Complaints of lower back pain have risen dramatically in recent decades. Ranking 12th as a cause of disability in 1990, its now the leading cause of disability in nearly all high-income countries
- In the U.S., more than 60 percent of people who see their physician for lower back pain are prescribed an opioid painkiller, but research shows placebo pills can offer significant relief for many patients struggling with long-term chronic back pain
