Placebo medicine plays a key role in drug research. It is also possible to employ it in the process of treating the so-called “imaginary sick”

What is placebo drug?

Placebo is a substance without specific active ingredients. It is administered as if it really had curative or pharmacological properties. This can improve the health of the patient, only if the patient places trust in that substance or therapy. This is called the “Placebo Effect” and consists of an improvement induced by the patient’s positive expectations.

How does it work? The power of the mind

The placebo effect acts on multiple levels, involving different areas of the brain. When a patient takes a placebo convinced of its efficacy, the brain:

• releases endorphins: neurotransmitters that have a powerful analgesic effect and reduce the perception of pain
• activete brain areas related to reward and motivation: which reinforce the patient’s positive expectations and response to treatment.

Experimentation and research: the role of placebo

Generally, placebo is used for research and experimental purposes. In clinical trials, when researchers needs to taste a new drug and verifie its effectiveness, they selecte samples and divide them into two groups. One of the groups receives the investigational drug, while the other receives a placebo, that is identical in appearance but lacks active ingredients. The subjects who are given the placebo drug don’t know that it’s a placebo. They think that it is a real drug. Then, comparing the results of the two groups, researchers can assess the actual effectiveness of the drug, distinguishing pharmacological action from placebo effect.

New possibilities for placebo medicine: cases of “imaginary sick people”

As we have seen, placebo drugs can have curative effects on patients. So why not to employ them as a real treatment for all those cases of psychosomatic disorders, commonly labeled as “imaginary patients.” These patients, although they do not have organic diseases, manifest real physical symptoms, such as pain, headaches or digestive disorders. these states f health are caused by psychological factors such as stress, anxiety or depression. In such cases, placebo medicine, combined with a targeted psychological approach, can be a valuable therapeutic tool. The patients, receiving placebo treatment in which they places trust, may experience an improvement in symptoms, paving the way for a course of psychological therapy that addresses the root causes of the malaise.

Sources and Images

• https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-real-power-of-placebos
• https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/placebo-effect-depression-treatment
• https://www.nccih.nih.gov/research/intramural/section-on-affective-neuroscience-and-pain
• https://www.stateofmind.it/placebo-effetto-placebo/#:~:text=L’effetto%20placebo%2C%20%C3%A8%20il,chi%20ha%20assunto%20tale%20terapia&text=In%20medicina%2C%20il%20placebo%20%C3%A8,se%20usata%20a%20scopi%20terapeutici.
• https://pxhere.com/it/photo/565804