Blogging Assignment Eins

"The implications of the placebo effect are wide reaching. Most immediately it highlights how much we still have to learn about the relationship between a patient's mind and body...."

The placebo effect is something that fascinates me because it's something that remains somewhat of a mystery. It's also something that is questioned ethically. While reading about the placebo effect in chapter one, it was mainly regarded as the un-manipulated variable in an experiment, and the text mainly focused on how the placebo generally did not work as well as the actual drug in most cases (the example of Viagra was used). This video, on the other hand, exposes some of the secrets of the placebo effect. What's interesting is that many drugs have to pass a placebo test, and many don't. Can the human mind really be more effective than a scientifically engineered drug when it comes to the physical health of a human? Well, sometimes, yes. According to this video, the placebo effect is a cause for worry in many drug companies. The video argues that the placebo effect is getting stronger.

What was interesting to me, that wasn't really brought up in either the video or the textbook reading was the question of whether a placebo was ethical or not, especially in the use of humans. Of course when entering a study, patients must be informed of the possibility that there's a chance they might be receiving a placebo treatment, right? Doctors admit to prescribing placebos? Did their patients not have a clue? Is this legal? This left a few questions unanswered for me. I feel as though if I was a patient suffering from, say, cancer, and there was a drug that could potentially treat me, I think I'd be eager to sign up to participate in a trial. However, if I learned there was a chance that I could be receiving no treatments I would be much more hesitant to jump on board. Sure, double blind studies can be effective in finding out whether or not a drug is effective treatment, but at the expense of who?

All ethical questions aside, the fact that some placebos can be more effective than an engineered drug is so interesting. It leaves a lingering "why?" This is something that shouldn't be happening, but is. The placebo effect is wonderful because it's somewhat miraculous, and behind every great miracle is a big mystery. I guess my question is when the mystery behind the placebo effect will be revealed, if it ever will.