• Question: When people on drugs trials experience the placebo effect do they actually get better or do they just think that they are getting better? Could this result in for example someone having a cold but feeling perfectly fine and not experiencing any symptoms?

    Asked by danrumford to Cat, Daz, Holly, Johnson, Pamela on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Holly Shelton

      Holly Shelton answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dan
      Another great question. I think when people take a placebo they believe they feel better and so genuinely do feel better in themselves. When you feel good chemicals in your brain are stimulated and these chemical signals might actually repress some of your symptoms. So I think there is often a genuine placebo effect which is why its really inportant for drug trials to include a placebo treated group so scientists can figure out it the drug is having any real effect or not.

      Thanks

      Holly 🙂

    • Photo: Cat O'Connor

      Cat O'Connor answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dan, Holly gave exactly the answer I would give! I would never under estimate the power of positive thinking…at least that’s what I tell myself before an exam!

      Cat

    • Photo: Pamela Lithgow

      Pamela Lithgow answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dan,
      People actually do get better by placebo effect! it is amazing really! As Holly said there are some things about chemicals in the brain which explain the placebo effect but they think there is more to it than that and they don’t really know how it works! I think that is amazing! The human body and mind really is amazing.
      Hope that adds to the answers
      Pam 🙂

Comments