The Placebo

Once heavy opiates like OxyContin and Vicodin were reserved for extreme pain or cancer, they’re becoming more commonly prescribed for arthritis and other conditions. Every year this results in thousands going into emergency rooms. While efforts to regulate and clamp down on abuse are being made, it won’t make a dent in the demand unless we find a new treatment. Enter the PLACEBO.

The idea of ‘healing thoughts’ was long-ago hijacked by new age gurus and spiritual healers. Scientific researchers from a range of fields are now uncovering evidence that our subjective thoughts, emotions and beliefs can have very real benefits for our health, from easing symptoms and influencing immune responses to reducing our risk of getting ill in the first place.

Placebo here in this context, being a strong, mind building thought. Placebos might be ruining drug trials, but they are proving there’s a new approach to treating pain. If the end result of our thoughts is a biological function, imagine the possibilities of our brain offering an alternative to addictive painkillers?

It all starts with our thoughts or beliefs, which is what makes the placebo work. And if you’re familiar with this work, we all know that by changing our internal state, we can actually change our external reality.