Alternative medicine, or any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic,

homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula, is widely used in not only
in the United States, but in the world today. Examples include acupuncture, healing through prayer, and
many herbal treatments. One example that I have an interest in is the placebo effect.

The placebo effect is when a person is given a placebo, or a substance or other kind of
treatment that looks just like a regular treatment or medicine, but is not. It’s actually an inactive “look-
alike” treatment or substance. The placebo effect occurs when the person getting the treatment doesn’t
know for sure that the treatment isn’t real. Sometimes the placebo is in the form of a “sugar pill,” but a
placebo can also be an injection, a liquid, or even a procedure. It’s designed to seem like a real
treatment, but doesn’t directly affect the illness. It can be even as simple as a mother or father kissing a
childs “boo boo” to make it better. The child might think that the kiss magically fixes their pain. In reality
it just calms them down and makes them think they are ok. Kind of like Cogito ergo sum.

The placebo effect greatly relies on the body’s ability to produce neurological effecting
chemicals. A lot of “real” medicines also work by directly activating these as a response to the drug.
Using a placebo is a means to get the mind to do it without the negative symptoms of drugs or
prescriptions. The main problem with placebos is that while they do typically provide relief (for physical
pain or psychological pain), rarely do they work by themselves as a cure. The evidence to date suggests
that the therapeutic benefits associated with placebo effects…primarily address subjective and self-
appraised symptoms.

I chose this topic because it is a genuine effect that has been studied and proven in laboratories,
granted with healthy volunteers, employing deceptive techniques that are not directly pertinent to
clinical practice. Of all of the other types of alternative medicine, I feel that they were all a little bit
wonky, and in my mind kind of silly, especially when they can’t be proven in a laboratory setting. The
placebo effect is a real thing and it’s probably happened to most people whether they know it or not. Its
pretty cool stuff.

I found this pretty good ted talk about the placebo effect, and I figured since we’ve watched a
few ted talks so far, another one would be fitting. Enjoy!
https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_mead_the_magic_of_the_placebo?language=en
(Warning: This talk is not suitable for viewers who are disturbed by needles or blood.)