Many people firmly believe in the effectiveness of certain vitamin supplements, herbal medicines or alternative therapies for various ailments. Although in some cases there may be active ingredients with some effect, in many others, the improvement that people experience could be mainly due to their belief in the treatment, that is, the placebo effect.
People invest a lot of money and trust in these products, often without realizing that the benefit they feel might not be due to the intrinsic properties of the product itself, but rather the expectation that it will work for them.
I think alcohol can be a placebo, I feel like people act drunk way too soon sometimes over way too little and over very little degrees. Not always and not all, some are truly sensitive, but some, I feel like it is obvious that they just give themselves the “permission to act drunk”.
There is nothing ‘just’ about the placebo effect, tricking your own body into healing or reducing pain is amazing!
The placebo effect even works if you know you are applying it.
I feel like skincare products with gold flakes or super fancy packaging, like half time it’s just the vibe making us feel like it’s working better. Not saying they’re all useless, but the placebo is def doing some of the work. Lol
Back in the early 2000s, researchers were testing whether fetal tissue transplants could help people with Parkinson’s disease. Sounds like sci-fi, right? Here’s the kicker: to really test it, they set up a placebo-controlled trial. That means some patients got the actual brain implants… and others got sham brain surgery.
Yes. They literally cut into people’s heads, drilled into their skulls, opened the dura, and then… did nothing. Just closed them up again. All while these people were under the impression they might be getting real treatment.
And the patients volunteered. They were fully informed, and many of them still said “yeah, sign me up.” Because Parkinson’s is brutal, and there wasn’t much else.
What’s even crazier is that the placebo effect was strong. Some of the people who got the fake surgery still showed improvement — like actual, measurable symptom relief. Meanwhile, some of the ones who got the real transplant didn’t do much better. In fact, a few got worse and developed dyskinesias (uncontrollable movements).
The whole thing blew up ethically. Some people called it groundbreaking science. Others called it straight-up medical cruelty. But it did force the medical community to rethink how we test surgeries, especially brain-related ones.
Anyway, just thought that was one of the wildest examples of placebo power I’ve ever read. Imagine signing up for brain surgery and not knowing if it’s real or just a high-stakes illusion
Sugary food doesn’t make kids “hyper” but it’s moreso that kids are typically given sugary food for special occasions -often with other kids- like birthday parties or weddings or sleepovers etc.
When I decided to quit smoking, I used nicotine patches to wean me from the habit of smoking. (For those who don’t know, nicotine patches work by supplying nicotine while you break the habit of smoking. Then you step down to the next lower level of nicotine, eventually getting almost none, then you quit the patch.) First you break the habit, then you break the addiction.
I looked at the gel on the patch, and noticed it was just nicotine in this stuff like petroleum jelly. I decided “it’s kind of like a lotion!” So whenever things got stressful and I really wanted a cigarette, I’d rub that patch, telling myself that I was rubbing in more nicotine, like a lotion. I also noticed that my arm got warm from rubbing the patch, so that was opening my pores to allow more nicotine in!
It got me through those urges to rip off the patch and go smoke!
On one episode of the “Hidden Brain” podcast, they explored the placebo effect and made one of the most insightful statements I’ve ever heard on the issue.
When doing experiments with a control/placebo group, we always talk about how the drug/treatment/etc “didn’t outperform the placebo.”
We should be talking about WHY THE PLACEBO WORKS as good as the drug/treatment.
The placebo effect is just this thing we know exists and like “wow, isn’t that neat?” but we tend to under-research why/how it works, and maybe how we can actually improve it/increase it. I’m ZERO for woo-woo, but you can’t deny that placebo effect is actually real.
(FTR, my answer to this is essential oils. People think they “heal.” Nah, you like nice smells and you feel better after smelling nice things)
Chiropractor for the most part. You get a crack a small bit of relief and a piss poor massage if you’re lucky. Then they book you in ideally next week to scam you all over again. Once had a chiropractor crack my neck so hard he asked me “can you wiggle your toes” i thankfully could and never went back to an osteopath or chiropractor again and with massages and a seeing a physiotherapist I am pain free and have been for decades. But I was in pain seeing charlatans giving out placebo’s and calling it treatment.
I dont know, this is actually more like the “Anti-Placebo” effect… but you ever notice when a younger kid falls down or bumps into something… if you make eye contact with them and they know you saw then they will cry… if you act as if you didn’t see (assuming it wasn’t a serious blow) then often times the kid will go back to playing or doing whatever they were doing and not melt down.
One day some researchers gave both Pepsi and Coke to a group of people without telling them or showing them what was what. Most of them said Pepsi was better but when they were revealed which one was which most of them changed their mind and said coke was better.
>Several weeks ago, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee unanimously concluded that phenylephrine, an ingredient found in popular nasal decongestants sold under such brand names as Sudafed PE and Dayquil, works no better than a placebo in treating cold and allergy symptoms. And Yale School of Medicine researchers suggest there are other similarly ineffective drugs on the market.
I don’t think the stuff you need to have an ID for behind the pharmacy have that ingredient. Sudafed PE is sold out in the open and contains that ingredient but the behind the counter Sudafed has pseudoephedrine which is different and better.
Comments
Sugar highs are placebo. Sugar crashes are real
Many people firmly believe in the effectiveness of certain vitamin supplements, herbal medicines or alternative therapies for various ailments. Although in some cases there may be active ingredients with some effect, in many others, the improvement that people experience could be mainly due to their belief in the treatment, that is, the placebo effect.
People invest a lot of money and trust in these products, often without realizing that the benefit they feel might not be due to the intrinsic properties of the product itself, but rather the expectation that it will work for them.
Homeopathic medicine.
Luxury branded products. People typically assume a product is high end and premium based on just the price.
Grey goose vodka built their entire brand on that marketing tactic alone.
I think alcohol can be a placebo, I feel like people act drunk way too soon sometimes over way too little and over very little degrees. Not always and not all, some are truly sensitive, but some, I feel like it is obvious that they just give themselves the “permission to act drunk”.
Giving a small child an ice pack or a bandaid fixed most “wounds.” Especially if it comes with a hug and sympathy.
People thinking they know what the placebo effect is, posting something irrelevant here, and feeling good about it.
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Giving a young child a gaming controller that’s not plugged in/connected, or for a singleplayer game.
There is nothing ‘just’ about the placebo effect, tricking your own body into healing or reducing pain is amazing!
The placebo effect even works if you know you are applying it.
I like to say the placebo effect is still an effect after all.
I feel like skincare products with gold flakes or super fancy packaging, like half time it’s just the vibe making us feel like it’s working better. Not saying they’re all useless, but the placebo is def doing some of the work. Lol
Back in the early 2000s, researchers were testing whether fetal tissue transplants could help people with Parkinson’s disease. Sounds like sci-fi, right? Here’s the kicker: to really test it, they set up a placebo-controlled trial. That means some patients got the actual brain implants… and others got sham brain surgery.
Yes. They literally cut into people’s heads, drilled into their skulls, opened the dura, and then… did nothing. Just closed them up again. All while these people were under the impression they might be getting real treatment.
And the patients volunteered. They were fully informed, and many of them still said “yeah, sign me up.” Because Parkinson’s is brutal, and there wasn’t much else.
What’s even crazier is that the placebo effect was strong. Some of the people who got the fake surgery still showed improvement — like actual, measurable symptom relief. Meanwhile, some of the ones who got the real transplant didn’t do much better. In fact, a few got worse and developed dyskinesias (uncontrollable movements).
The whole thing blew up ethically. Some people called it groundbreaking science. Others called it straight-up medical cruelty. But it did force the medical community to rethink how we test surgeries, especially brain-related ones.
Anyway, just thought that was one of the wildest examples of placebo power I’ve ever read. Imagine signing up for brain surgery and not knowing if it’s real or just a high-stakes illusion
I’m kinda stunned to see how many people don’t actually know what a placebo is. There’s legit someone in the thread calling insomnia a placebo 😂
I think the sudden urge to belt out Pure Morning is probably the Placebo effect
Don’t read the comments, it can backfire
Crystals💫 and I collect the crap out of them.
Sugary food doesn’t make kids “hyper” but it’s moreso that kids are typically given sugary food for special occasions -often with other kids- like birthday parties or weddings or sleepovers etc.
When I decided to quit smoking, I used nicotine patches to wean me from the habit of smoking. (For those who don’t know, nicotine patches work by supplying nicotine while you break the habit of smoking. Then you step down to the next lower level of nicotine, eventually getting almost none, then you quit the patch.) First you break the habit, then you break the addiction.
I looked at the gel on the patch, and noticed it was just nicotine in this stuff like petroleum jelly. I decided “it’s kind of like a lotion!” So whenever things got stressful and I really wanted a cigarette, I’d rub that patch, telling myself that I was rubbing in more nicotine, like a lotion. I also noticed that my arm got warm from rubbing the patch, so that was opening my pores to allow more nicotine in!
It got me through those urges to rip off the patch and go smoke!
I recently learned about the nocebo effect which suggests that if you expect pain or ill side effects you are more likely to experience them.
Brian Molko singing?
homeopathy
On one episode of the “Hidden Brain” podcast, they explored the placebo effect and made one of the most insightful statements I’ve ever heard on the issue.
When doing experiments with a control/placebo group, we always talk about how the drug/treatment/etc “didn’t outperform the placebo.”
We should be talking about WHY THE PLACEBO WORKS as good as the drug/treatment.
The placebo effect is just this thing we know exists and like “wow, isn’t that neat?” but we tend to under-research why/how it works, and maybe how we can actually improve it/increase it. I’m ZERO for woo-woo, but you can’t deny that placebo effect is actually real.
(FTR, my answer to this is essential oils. People think they “heal.” Nah, you like nice smells and you feel better after smelling nice things)
Chiropractor for the most part. You get a crack a small bit of relief and a piss poor massage if you’re lucky. Then they book you in ideally next week to scam you all over again. Once had a chiropractor crack my neck so hard he asked me “can you wiggle your toes” i thankfully could and never went back to an osteopath or chiropractor again and with massages and a seeing a physiotherapist I am pain free and have been for decades. But I was in pain seeing charlatans giving out placebo’s and calling it treatment.
Most detox teas. People swear by them, but it’s usually just water, caffeine, and the power of believing you’re “cleansing”
When I was in labour, nearing the end of it, a nurse told me I can push a button and my epidural dose will safety increase as needed.
Right before I was about to push, another nurse came in and said (about the button), “yeah the placebo effect is crazy”.
Ruined everything for me.
My favorite has always been that some crosswalk buttons don’t actually do anything. But it makes people feel like they are in control.
I dont know, this is actually more like the “Anti-Placebo” effect… but you ever notice when a younger kid falls down or bumps into something… if you make eye contact with them and they know you saw then they will cry… if you act as if you didn’t see (assuming it wasn’t a serious blow) then often times the kid will go back to playing or doing whatever they were doing and not melt down.
One day some researchers gave both Pepsi and Coke to a group of people without telling them or showing them what was what. Most of them said Pepsi was better but when they were revealed which one was which most of them changed their mind and said coke was better.
Lie detectors.
Lie detectors don’t work.
The person administering the test will convince the subject that lie detectors work every time and they are infallible at reading the results.
After the test, the interviewer will press the subject claiming that the lie detector showed a positive result.
All they are trying to do is to elicit a confession, but it is amazingly effective.
Dayquil and other OTC cold and flue drugs apparently
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/phenylephrine-a-common-decongestant-is-ineffective-say-fda-advisors-its-not-alone/
>Several weeks ago, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee unanimously concluded that phenylephrine, an ingredient found in popular nasal decongestants sold under such brand names as Sudafed PE and Dayquil, works no better than a placebo in treating cold and allergy symptoms. And Yale School of Medicine researchers suggest there are other similarly ineffective drugs on the market.
I don’t think the stuff you need to have an ID for behind the pharmacy have that ingredient. Sudafed PE is sold out in the open and contains that ingredient but the behind the counter Sudafed has pseudoephedrine which is different and better.
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