How the placebo effect works even when you know

Mental stress is the reason for many kind of mental illnesses. Asthma, blood pressure, peptic ulcer, some skin diseases, sexual problems, allergy, sleeplessness, menstrual problems, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation, recurring body pain, obesity etc. are the main psychological disorders caused by mental issues. Apart from this, people with physical diseases like cancer, epilepsy, stroke, heart disease, hypothyroidism or Parkinson’s disease might show symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, psychosis, etc.Almost 25% of cancer patients suffer from depression or anxiety disorders.

The treatment for mental disorder seen among cancer patients is termed psycho oncology.Certain peculiar behavioral traits are seen among people with psychological disorders: Over expectation and excessive importance to events. Sudden bouts of happiness and sadness. People with less civic sense, depression, sleep related problems, etc. Categories psychological disorders include anxiety disorders, convention disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, stress related ailments, Somatoform disorder and so on.For people suffering from psychological diseases as well as those with physical ailments like cancer, treatments for mental loosening up are advisable. Certain studies suggest that psychological loosening up can strengthen the activity of immunity cells to some extent. Hypnosis Progressive Relaxation techniques, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, etc. are scientific psychotherapy techniques used to treat psychological disorders. Medicines or treatment which react to one’s instructions or faith is termed placebo. Pain or physical ailments caused due to psychological reasons can be cured using compulsion or placebo pills.

Patient’s trust in the treatment, the physician, and the latter’s conduct are factors that add to the placebo effect.The mental state of the patient, who has received temporary stimulus as a result of the doctor’s compulsion, is mistaken by the former as prognosis. Many patients who are in the habit of readily believing things are easily influenced by many a pseudo physician. A majority of people wish for a ritualistic solution to their ailments and problems. They prefer pseudo curing techniques which are either spiritual or mysterious in their approach.

Such people have a tendency to claim that these medicines were effective even when it had no real effect on them. Pseudo- physicians make unnatural claims about their mode of treatment.
It is made to believe that prognosis happens when there is a belief in the curing capacity of the medicine being taken. By means of strengthening the body’s immunity against the disease, some ailments are healed. But this doesn’t work in the case of deadly diseases.Even when many a treatment or medicine is of no use, the misconceptions regarding their healing power are widespread. Big wholesale pharmaceutical companies, sell off their sugar pills and useless tonics using grand advertisement tools.Many ailments can be cured without any treatment. Our body has natural immunity. There occurs a normal gradation in the intensity of many deadly diseases or long suffering ailments. It is easy to mistake it as cure.

Prasad Amore