"However, a complicating factor witnessed in many clinical trials is that some patients who received the placebo or fake medicine show signs of improvement. This has become known as the " placebo effect." This can occur when a person believes the medicine they are receiving will result in better health outcomes. This psychological phenomenon suggests there is a strong mind-body connection. As shown with the placebo effect, positive expectations can actually result in positive outcomes."
"Alternatively, the nocebo effect can occur when a person does not believe the medicine or treatment they are receiving will deliver better health results. They may read about and then anticipate that the treatment will result in many painful side effects. In these situations, negative expectations can result in negative outcomes. This may be a result of a reaction to prolonged fear, anxiety, and stress, which negatively affects the immune system and the overall physical body."
Placebo originates from Latin meaning "I shall please" and nocebo means "I shall harm." In medicine, a placebo is a fake medicine without active ingredients used as a control in clinical trials. Some patients given placebo show signs of improvement when they believe the treatment will help, demonstrating a mind-body connection. Negative expectations produce the nocebo effect, causing anticipated side effects and possibly stemming from prolonged fear, anxiety, and stress that impair immune function and physical health. Psychosomatic effects can be influenced by caregivers, family members, friends, and beliefs about aging can affect the physical body.
Read at Psychology Today
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