I just read a great article on the placebo effect in medicine and how some doctors are trying to study it and take advantage of it in treatment.
This is part of the explanation for why so many “quack” cures are around and why they seem to work for some people. It is also an exploration of the powerful effect our minds have on the health of our bodies. One intriguing excerpt:
“Kaptchuk explains… for years, ‘We were struggling to increase drug effects while no one was trying to increase the placebo effect.’”
And why not deliberately increase the placebo effect? Or, to put it in more positive terms, why not give more attention to the psychological factors involved in how medical care is administered?
The Placebo Phenomenon by Cara Feinburg, Harvard Magazine.