What Is Placebo Effect? Treatment Is Fake but Response Can Be Real

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Placebo effect occurs when the physical or mental health of a person appears to improve after taking a 'dummy' treatment. It refers to a treatment that appears real but is designed to have no therapeutic benefit.

Notably, "placebo" and the "placebo effect" are different things. The term placebo means the inactive substance itself. Meanwhile, the placebo effect refers to any effects of taking a medicine that cannot be attributed to the treatment itself.

Stimulated healing is not a new concept, but science has now found that a placebo can be effective just like the traditional treatments under the right circumstances.

While talking about the process, it is important to mention that placebos won't lower cholesterol, shrink a tumour, or cure cancer.

However, experts have said that placebos work on symptoms modulated by the brain, which is similar to the perception of pain. It has been understood that placebos may make a person feel better, but they will not cure him/her permanently.

In a report by Harvard Health Publishing, it is mentioned that placebos will be most effective for conditions like pain management, stress-related insomnia, and cancer treatment side effects.

There are side effects also as some people can experience more symptoms in response to a placebo. It is sometimes referred to as the "nocebo effect".