Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Why some people respond to treatments that have no active ingredients in them may be down to their genes, a study in the journal PLoS ONE suggests.
The so-called "placebo effect" was examined in 104 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the US.
Those with a particular version of the COMT gene saw an improvement in their health after placebo acupuncture.
The scientists warn that while they hope their findings will be seen in other conditions, more work is needed.
Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, said: "This is a fascinating but very preliminary result.
"It could solve the age-old question of why some individuals respond to placebo, while others do not.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20042128
I can remember a great example of the placebo effect from when I was a student. Me and a friend made a chocolate cake for a party, with a generous amount of Moroccan black mixed in. We actually got high from licking the mixing bowl clean! 😱 Anyway, we took it to the party and everyone had a slice. Needless to say, it took rapid effect and the party turned into an episode of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. After about 30 minutes we announced that we hadn't actually put anything in the cake - everyone immediately started acting normally, embarrassed that they had been acting high! We then assured them that there was something in the cake and everyone went back to FFFB mode! OK, not a placebo, as there was actually something in the cake, but it showed how powerful and effect suggestion had on people 🙂
The so-called "placebo effect" was examined in 104 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the US.
Those with a particular version of the COMT gene saw an improvement in their health after placebo acupuncture.
The scientists warn that while they hope their findings will be seen in other conditions, more work is needed.
Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, said: "This is a fascinating but very preliminary result.
"It could solve the age-old question of why some individuals respond to placebo, while others do not.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20042128
I can remember a great example of the placebo effect from when I was a student. Me and a friend made a chocolate cake for a party, with a generous amount of Moroccan black mixed in. We actually got high from licking the mixing bowl clean! 😱 Anyway, we took it to the party and everyone had a slice. Needless to say, it took rapid effect and the party turned into an episode of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. After about 30 minutes we announced that we hadn't actually put anything in the cake - everyone immediately started acting normally, embarrassed that they had been acting high! We then assured them that there was something in the cake and everyone went back to FFFB mode! OK, not a placebo, as there was actually something in the cake, but it showed how powerful and effect suggestion had on people 🙂