How do just belief and expectations work wonders?

   Just imagine a fake treatment that without any specially active element which is capable to cure diseases. Well, I am not talking about diseases like cancer, but like viral infection or common flu maybe! Yes. That is completely possible with the help of just enough faith in ourselves. Let me tell you a story:

  In the battlefields of World War II, many soldiers were wounded. The doctor had no drugs to cure the pain. So, he grabbed a vial of salt water, and syringes and gave a shot to the soldiers. Surprisingly, the soldiers felt reduced pain and were ready to fight. This is how the "Placebo Effect" came into existence — The phenomenon whereby suffering people get better from treatments that have no discernible reason to work!

  At surface, the Placebo Effect seems to work with faith and fake assurance, just like the soldiers anticipated to become better, and they got! But actually, Placebo Effect is the most precise mixture of psychology and biology. 

  In one study involving asthma, people using a placebo inhaler did no better on breathing tests than sitting and doing nothing. But when researchers asked for people's perception of how they felt, the placebo inhaler was reported as being as effective as medicine in providing relief.

  The placebo effect changes from individual to individual, and its strength varies from one disease to the next. The reasons for the influence of a placebo are not fully understood. Given the variation in response, it is likely that there is more than one mechanism at work.

  Part of the power of the placebo lies in the expectations of the individual taking them. These expectations can relate to the treatment, the substance, or the prescribing doctor.

  This expectation may cause a drop in stress hormones or cause them to recategorize their symptoms. For instance, a “sharp pain” might instead be perceived as an “uncomfortable tingling.”

  On the other hand, if the individual does not expect the drug to work, or expects there to be side effects, the placebo can generate negative outcomes. In these cases, the placebo is instead referred to as a nocebo.

  There is a lot of research going on regarding Placebo effect and how it may replace our day to day medicines. Well, that's a story for another post. Till then, keep reading, and comment your thoughts below!!!

Posts before October 2021 have been marked as "Old Posts". Less likely, but they might have out dated or incorrect information, ugly looking bits of code, no labels, etc. Don't get me wrong, many of these posts are top-notch and interesting too.

I thought it would be better not to delete or revamp these posts, even if they suck. The bitter truth is that old works always suck, but I take that as a positive tool to convey that I am growing. Besides there's no better way to showcase my journey without these old, messy, poorly written posts!

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