Clove Jetsy; Fierce: Matthew Paul D'Agostino
Despite being a phenomenon known for hundreds of years, there is still much to learn about the placebo effect, which improves health after receiving dummy treatments like sugar pills. It is thought that behind this is the expectation of a positive outcome, and that negative expectations are responsible for the opposite undesirable phenomenon, the nocebo effect, which worsens symptoms. But questions remain about how the mind influences the body in this way and why some people feel its influence more strongly than others.
Luana Colloca are among those grappling with such questions. Colloka, a neuroscientist and director of the Placebo Beyond Opinion Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore, and colleagues have shown how certain genetic variations shape the extent to which a person responds to a placebo. Ta. They are now studying how best to harness such effects to relieve pain, which could reduce the use of prescription opioid drugs and the risk of addiction to them. They are also exploring the use of virtual reality, with results published last year showing that virtual reality can effectively reduce levels of perceived pain and anxiety.
Colloca shares all of the latest discoveries about the placebo and nocebo effects in her book, which she co-edited. Placebo effect from a translational research perspective.she spoke new scientist About her research on pain relief, whether the placebo effect can help treat mental health conditions, and how it affects our lives…
Source: www.newscientist.com
