The Placebo Effect

HAPPY PILLS

How many of us, at the first signs of illness, report to a chemist or a doctor for medical help? It's natural to seek-out a remedy for improving how we feel, but before we spend our hard-earned cash on drugs or embark on that doctor's visit, we could first ponder a strange but scientifically proven fact: The very idea of doing something to fix our symptoms of illness - ie. thinking about putting something like a pill in our bodies, could in itself be enough to make us better, regardless of any pills we ingest.

The Process For Wellness
The first steps to recovery should be from our own assessments of why we are below par, but that's often not what happens for so many of us. Because without a thought for the causes of our afflictions (stress, poor lifestyle/sleep/diet etc.), we'll likely head to the pharmacy for a quick fix instead.

A pharmacy, with employees in brilliant white coats, shelves upon shelves of lotions, potions and pills, signify that we're in the right place for all manor of health remedies. The professional-looking folks, can further bolster this confirmation, because by the very act of talking with these accredited health practitioners, we'll be another step forwards towards recovery, as we'll discover further on....

We can blindly trust the opinions of doctors, nurses, chemists and health practitioners, to such an extent that merely having a conversation with them, can alleviate discomfort/pain and encourage recovery. It's why we seek to speak with these individuals in authority for all matters of health. It's the reassurance that it offers, that alters our perception – the relief that a professional is involved.

In the same way as having the initial thought to get well, aids our recovery, the thought of visiting a health 'professional', of our being immersed in an environment with health products, plus speaking with a qualified 'expert' to receive confirmations about our symptoms, to then be paired with the packaged products on the shelves, – will all be subconscious steps further along our path to recovery. And amazingly, this process occurs without us even taking a pill.

When the action is underway for seeking advice, processes of recovery will has already started. The chemist or physician will first question the symptoms. By establishing 'confirmation' agreements with the client/us (empathically delivered responses work even more effectively), suggesting a medicine remedy which has the pre-confirmed ingredients commonly 'recognised' in the market as potential benefactors of relief, their job has been accomplished already. The mind and body are working away and we'll be well on our way to recovery at this point.

Now pause a second before purchasing a quick-fix drug next time and ask one's self: Do we need the actual products being proposed/sold here or are we just in need of some good sleep, nutrition and naturally occurring medicine coming from fresh ingredients (vitamin C), fresh air and sunshine (vitamin D) – ensuring we have enough calcium, zinc, magnesium and B vitamins in the diet really helps. Chances are, the latter will be what's required.

If you've paused at the till, for one last 'fix' of positive steps towards recovery – check the packaging. The products sold in this health-benefitting environment, will have messages like 'pain relief' or 'fast recovery' on the box and will likely be branded/badged by one of the pharmaceutical companies who are 'trusted' in the industry (often bolstered through advertising), by the chemist (it's a shop at the end of the day) or by the doctor (perhaps also encouraged to promote for financial gain – but certainly to justify their higher salaries). The messaging on the pack can be enough. Now put the products back on the shelf, hit the grocery instead and feel confident that the recovery is in an advanced stage already!

Belief Can Be The Greatest Medicine
If you've gotten this far, you're showing a willingness to be open-minded to this way of thinking. Many people will not be able to even contemplate having the power to heal themselves and that's already affecting their ability to self-heal. What we are witnessing above – from the first thoughts about being ill (something in itself what creates the actual illness), down to being at the point of purchase, are 'triggers' for confirmation bias. We have made a decision to get well. It's the environment, behaviours and delivery of the messaging from professionals, plus the packaging of the product, that are creating the magic. The magic is in our belief!

The best way to stay healthy, is to manage the contributing factors for health – namely reducing & perhaps avoiding the things that are potentially harmful, like too much alcohol, smoking, greasy, overly-processed foods and enduring sustained high-stress situations in work or relationships.

Enforce Your Own Beliefs 
When we feel 'below par', 'out of sorts' or as some wrongfully call it: 'unwell',  just remember to pause and think about how our behaviours and thinking/mindset bring confirmation of what we believe, this can attract both positive and negative outcomes. Think positively and note how good things tend to happen more often.

Therefore, if we tell ourselves that we are 'ill' or 'sick' etc., what we are actually doing, is allowing the malaise to take a hold. Of course, we have to consider that even the most positive outlook on a situation could mean delaying getting professional help when it really is required. That's called being delusional. We have to listen to our bodies. Sustained periods of feeling tired, poor appetite, dizzy or below 60% one's best. it's definitely time to get a check-up.

Drawing from my own experiences over the years, by measuring my effectiveness/mood/energy on a percentage scale, with an equation worked out to factor-in exactly why the results are below 99% (nobody reaches 100%!), we can assess the reasons and take action towards recovery. Sometimes this involves taking paracetamol and other anti-inflammatories (inflammation is common with colds etc.), but often just means (for me especially), an early night after a nutritious meal and possibly involving some yoga, walking in nature or more endorphin-releasing exercise.

The Placebo Belief & Effect
The very title 'Placebo Effect', should incorporate the word 'belief', because the solution is not actually in staking the pill itself, because studies show that we get the same beneficial effects without the pills.

The placebo effect is based purely on belief. The individual is healed through a belief they are taking medicine and even when it's known what they are taking is a placebo. Unconsciously, the action of wanting to heal and taking the steps for recovery are hard wired in us. We have more power than we realise to effect change – the more we believe that fact, the better we'll get at enforcing the results.