The Placebo Effect

Placebo is Latin for ‘I will please’, and refers to any medical treatment that does not have any chemical property. The placebo has long been used in research trials to objectively test the efficacy of a new drug. A placebo is indispensable to the conduct of many scientifically-based clinical trials. Usually, one group of people take the drug while another group takes the placebo. The placebo may be just an ordinary pill coated with sugar. None of the participants know whether they are taking the drug or the sugar pill.

Comparing the results from both groups should indicate the effects of the drug. However, people sometimes get better when they are taking a placebo. This phenomenon is known as ‘the placebo effect’. Estimates vary, but around one third of people taking placebos for a multitude of complaints including pain, headache and seasickness are seen to experience relief from symptoms. There are various theories that attempt to explain this phenomenon but the underlying mechanisms remain mysterious.

A placebo does not have to be a drug. It can be any inert or alternative treatment, such as special diets, exercise, or physical therapy. The placebo effect is triggered by the person’s belief in the treatment and their expectation of feeling better, rather than the specific form of the placebo.

The flip side of the placebo effect is that it opens the door for all kinds of unproven alternative therapies like aura cleansing, crystal therapy, magnetic therapy and sometimes even quackery. These make elaborate promises to the client to alleviate their pain through elaborate rituals and ceremonies, thereby extorting them of their money.