Bob opined:
On that same show they tested 2 people and 1 said that the drug that
worked best was the placebo (sugar pill). Of course when they tested
him, they told him that it was a new drug and he didn't get sick at
all. That tells me for some it is a mind game. If you feel relaxed
and believe it what you are taking will cure you, you will be fine.


This is an excellent point................ What is the expected placebo
effect for any given sample/study group? Cant remember but I think the
folks who submit to the NJM mentioned, maybe 6%-12% of people are head
cases.

Anybody know the typical expected placebo effect for humans?

Bob

A few years ago there was a widely published study (released to the news
media) that pitted placebo against the well known SSRI's like Paxil,
etc. What they found was that several drugs made people worse, the drug
that worked the best scored a 15% improvement (subjective, rated by the
patients on standardized scoresheets) and the placebo rated 45%.

Evidently, since the brain controls the body, and the mind controls the
brain - then changing the mind can change the body's responses. This is
borne out by studies of people with multiple personalities: several
documented cases of M.P's have a serious disease in the body during the
manifestation of one personality, but not during another. One case I
remember reading about the patient had type I diabetes (non-insulin
producing) in one personality, but produced normal levels of insulin in
another personality as measured during blood tests.

A good demonstration is when a hypnotist has the subject believe they
are as stiff as a board, and is then placed horizontally over two chairs
- one under the head, the other under the feet. Then the hypnotist
stands on the suspended person's belly with no apparent strain by the
subject to hold him up for an extended time period. Most demonstration
subjects report that they felt no strain or effort during the
demonstration. Beliefs are powerful.