Placebo Effect Essay

What is a Placebo Effect? When is the placebo effect used, why is the placebo effect used? Who dose the placebo effect work on? Is the placebo effect only for sick people? Is the placebo effect a drug, a trick, or a cure? Is the placebo effect used often or regularly? Dose the placebo effect work? Is the placebo effect useful? All of these questions will be addressed regarding placebo effect, from what is the placebo effect, why the placebo effect is used, who the placebo effect will work on, when the placebo effect is used, as well as the effect the placebo effect has on the body and on the mind, as well as the method of the placebo effect that would be used if necessary. Just like any from or kind of treatment the placebo effect has its limitation. The placebo effect will not always work, and the placebo will not work on everyone.

Imagine going to the doctor and being given medication to heal your pain. Now how would you feel if after taking the medication and feeling better you came to find out you were given a placebo? This may sound upsetting to some, however, “ a recent survey of U.S. internists and rheumatologists found that some 50% regular prescribe placebos.” A placebo is defined as a false treatment without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient. The use of placebos as a primary form of treatment with any pathology is not happening anytime soon, but their positive impact and usefulness in the medical field is becoming hard to deny. In the article, “The Magic of the Placebo”, author David Bjerklie attempts to explain the growing change in

Cultural accommodation-In certain cultures families, they may believe in a spiritual healer, witch doctor and believe in a combination of prayer, herbs, and other rituals to treat illness and the sick. This practice is allowed as long as it does not contraindicate

In fact, Mercy Medical Center in Merced recently established a new Hmong shaman policy that invited shamans to perform nine approved ceremonies, such as “soul calling,” in the hospital (Brown, 2009). Integration of Hmong shaman policies into hospitals, and exposing shamans into western medicine, allows for the coexistence of Western and Oriental medicine, in addition to a profound respect for the patient’s choice. This paves a way for the steady integration of holistic health care, a system that strives to promote optimal health by recognizing healing as a part of the soul, and focuses on remedying the ill by analyzing a plethora of external factors outside of organs, such as behavior, social environment, the person as a whole, and social role function (Wade, 2009). Although oriental medicine can be a way of effective treatment by pulling strings from the placebo effect, there are several drawbacks in using traditional medicine. Medical disabilities that best require surgical intervention, such as the case with clubfooted Hmong refugee Kou Xiong, would be turned down by Hmong families who are deeply rooted in the animism faith, which views physical alteration of congenital deformities as a dangerous violation of spirit will (Caplan, 1995). As much as the US is advancing towards accepting other forms of medical practices into current methods of patient care, tensions between Western medicine and oriental medicine still exist. In fact, the book The Spirit Catches You, and You Fall Down captures the collision of cultures most vividly as it narrates the failure of Merced hospital doctors to recognize patient Lia and her family’s cultural beliefs by unrelentingly imposing westernized medical treatment on Lia, which ultimately created tensions between the family and the hospital (Fadiman, 1997). Such tensions, as

Despite the fact that spirituality has been a long-time key component of healing throughout history, modern medicine refrains from it- instead choosing to embrace a more mechanistic view of the body- whereas, in contrast, Native American healing practices embrace spirituality. In fact indigenous practices consider the spirit an inseparable element of healing, placing importance on the spirit of the patient, healer, patient’s family, community, environment, and even the medicine itself. More specifically, the healing must take in account the dynamics between all of these spiritual forces as a part of the universal spirit. In contrast to Western medical view’s that focus on fixing unique body parts in distinct individuals that are separate from each other and their environment, Native Americans believe that we are all part of a whole that is greater than the sum of parts, and therefore, healing must be considered within this context (Johnston 131). This sense of connection can be observed by the concluding phrase of healing prayers with the words mitakuyo oyasin, or “all my

Possession rituals not only form social identities but also act as ways of healing for both the Harijans and Catholics. Sax describes how “ritual healing sometimes “works” by addressing the social causes of stress-related disorders” (Sax, 231). For the Harijans, possession rituals provide spaces to express their oppression, to be aided by the god Kachiya, and finally, to heal and move forward with their lives. Sax also explains that “placebos are extremely effective (often more so than standard biomedical techniques), but also that the efficacy of conventional medical therapy depends to a surprising degree on the healer’s own confidence in his or her methods” (Sax, 245). Sax proves that such rituals do work for Harijans, and even though the

A shaman who combines these practices may use traditional herbs as part of a healing ritual, but these substances may have scientifically proven medicinal value. He may treat the spirit as well as the body, as he is thought to “travel into the supernatural world to discover the source of illness and how to cure it” (276). The combination of spiritual healing rituals and medicinal substances may have both a physical and psychosomatic effect on a patient and be therapeutically effective.

Touch is used as a method of healing in many cultures around the world. One such example is discussed in the research findings of Im and Kim (2009) around Gentle Human Touch (GHT) and Yakson, a Korean system of touch therapy. Both modalities have been reported to reduce stress in infants (measurable by decreased stress hormones such as cortisone and norepinephrine), stimulate weight gain, reduce time-span of oxygen therapy as well as reduce the number of in-patient hospital days. Bloom (2005) expands his examination of healing by touch to other parts of the world , in particular the rituals performed by the indigenous cultures of the Yanomami of the Amazon, Walbiri that live in north central Australia, and G/wi groups that are native to the Kalahari Bush in Africa. According to Bloom (2005), these cultures all use physical touch during healing to promote relaxation in the patients and their families as well.

Tribal societies frequently use shaman for healing. Those who practice shamanism, voluntarily enter altered states of consciousness in order to interact with spiritual entities or to heal people who are ill and/or distressed. These practice induced altered states of consciousness are frequently thought of as spiritual healing practices. Especially since they are built on spiritual as well as supernatural beliefs in tribal societies. Until recently shaman in the Shoshone or Northwest Coast first nations would enter into a deep trance and travel into other worlds in order to retrieve the lost soul of those suffering from depression. “Mental illnesses are often perceived as being rooted in an underlying spiritual problem, and treatment is often left to traditional healers, such as shamans and

Evidence presented for acupuncture’s efficacy will be critiqued from both an evidence based medicine and whole systems research perspective. For acupuncture to be integrated into western medicine there needs to be reliable information on the safety of acupuncture, quality evidence of efficacy and contraindications of use. This needs to be reported so as to improve the quality of care provided by CAM therapists and increase referrals by physicians. In addition, physicians need to be educated and open to acupuncture practices to remove the stigma associated with its use

The legacy of acupuncture treatment uses the art of balance, working with the flow of energy in the body to treat pain and other health conditions. From a Western practitioners’ viewpoint acupuncture is an acknowledged method used to stimulate nerves, and muscles, encouraging the body’s release of natural painkillers into the blood stream. Improved circulation is noted for helping the body improve many health

The term “placebo effect” has been defined in many forms since the early Biblical era. According to Dr. Patrick Lemoine, author of, “The Placebo Effect: History, Biology, and Ethics,” stated that the term “placebo effect” was actually derived from a mistake made from the translation of the Bible into Latin by a gentleman whose name was Jerome (Lemoine). During the early parts of history and when the Bible was in the midst of being translated, Psalms 116:9, was written as Placebo Domino, meaning “I shall please the Lord,” instead of, Ambulabo coram Domino, meaning “I shall walk before the Lord” (Lemoine). Families of the 13th century, during the time of bereaving for a lost loved one, would be found chanting this verse. They called it the Office of the Dead and would chant this Psalm over and over again, while in a praying circle, and in mourning for the lost loved one (Lemoine). During the 16th century, the term was changed somewhat, and was used as form of confusion for the people who were claimed to have been possessed. At this time it was called the “placebo relic” (Lemoine). When a person was found to have been so-called possessed, they would be given false relics, or something to have been claimed that belonged to a saint or someone who was seen in reverence and honor from an earlier time of history. The possessed person would than act as if it really did belong to this saint or reverenced person, and then would go into seizure like convulsions as if they were shaking

The mind has often been referred to as the organ of consciousness. Daily functions such as thinking, breathing, and most any task we do rely heavily on use of this precious organ. However, through the use of placebos, it is becoming clear that the mind may have an even greater influence on our daily lives, influencing our perceptions of well- being. The placebo, which is Latin for to please, is a sugar-pill that is given under the guise of being a medication thought to treat an ailment. The use of placebos has shown us that the mind has tremendous potential to induce physiological changes in our body based solely on its perceptions. In example, as we swallow a sugar pill thinking

Acupuncture is the science of healing with needles through energy channels; it has a rich history and is now used around the world. The real question is, is acupuncture effective? How can we simply prove that sticking needles into a person’s body is actually taking away their pain or disease? How do we go from believing completely in Western Medicine to believing in Eastern Medicine? Although acupuncture is an Eastern form of healing, it has gained much credibility and respect in the West.

When one thinks of “traditional” African healing, images of tribal healers or witchdoctors covered in stereotypical garb, holding elaborately decorated sticks, dancing around a fire and chanting are likely among the first things that come to mind. There is a misconception that “traditional” African healing is static and synchronic and attributes all illness (mental and physical) to ancestors and witches. However, “traditional” African healing has been influenced by what is typically considered western biomedicine and continues to change. For centuries, while the colonizers stole resources and priceless artifacts from African nations, they left behind techniques typically associated with western biomedicine; in true colonizer fashion, they also adopted some aspects of “traditional” African healing and interwove it with western biomedicine. By examining the interactions between practitioners of “traditional” African healing and those of western biomedicine,