Comments on: How Do Placebos Relieve Pain?

By: sailor

sailor — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:15:52 +0000

It may have a lot to do with anxiety. When we feel pain we tend to feel anxious and also out of control. This can exaggerate the pain. A placebo relieves anxiety and gives the feeling you are doing something positive so are in control. This lessens anxiety and stress thus not amplifying the pain, as they were before, and makes it feel better..

By: alan

alan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:46:23 +0000

nobody really understands the psychological processes
If it is possible to experience an effect, relating to an extremity that has been removed. Then there is no true physical component concerned in that process. If feeling is being artificially generated, doesn’t that suggest the presence of a hub? At which point a signal can either be stimulated or erroneously generated? If some sort of conversion has to be performed, false triggering and/or overriding of that mechanism might also be possible.
Consider the stethoscope. Cut the tube at any point and the reality that is the sound will be released. When that reaches the ear it is converted into an electrical signal, which is a mere analogy of the original. So what we “hear” isn’t actual reality either.

By: Margaret Sinclair

Margaret Sinclair — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:17:53 +0000

I recently did my dissertation looking at placebo. There are lots of studies looking at fMRI’s and PET scans with interesting information coming out. Not all agree but there are some overlaps. What is interesting is what causes an increase in these ‘placebo’ responses. It usually comes down to perception and belief, both of the patient and practitioner. Amazing subject.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:32:02 +0000

Mind over matter? Something D could answer me thinks.

By: Shaun Banks

Shaun Banks — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:30:29 +0000

Pain is an emotive event that the logical cognitive processes of the executive function area of the brain cannot solve and as such this area of the brain maybe responsible for elevating and amplifying the pain alarm signals within the brain until the cause of the pain event is repaired and therefore solved . Preoccupying some of these cognitive processes with difficult working memory tasks (or even hypnosis) could help alleviate the pain by reducing the anxiety (emotional dis-ease) created by these logical cognitive processes trying to deal with the pain problem.

Amputees often suffer phantom pain which maybe the executive function area of the brain struggling to except the unnatural change to the persons physiology.

(I am no doctor though so it’s just a guest)

The placebo fools the executive function area of the brain by providing a possible solution for the pain.

There have been many cases of people having to cut of their own limbs which surely demonstrates that the mind is capable of extreme pain management, perhaps survival instinct over rides all of the cognitives processes in this area of the brain by disengaging any reasoning and focusing on the tsaks that need to be completed to survive.

Obviously this all depends on whether or not the executive function of the brain exists.

By: Mags

Mags — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:24:11 +0000

It’s all about positive thinking… We havent discovered all the “power” of our brain yet…if we can influence others , we can probably influence ourselves as well ( even if at this stage we may not be aware of this )

p.s. I looooooove Darren

By: nick

nick — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:54:18 +0000

Third time I have read this article, still wrestling with it, and the punchline is

SPOILER placebos and working memory have __pendent effects on pain.
(in the article).

But that doesn’t deter my initial impression, pain exists as a subjective reported experience in the brain, which part? Do we know yet? Executive function allows us to over ride basic primitive responses and have greater more meaningful experience, but we are looking for which specific part of the highly manoeuvrable frontal lobe helps us deal with pain by remembering things, and which specific part helps us deal with pain by setting the expectation to overcome it.

These processes are independent of each other.

We are still constructing the periodic table of psychology. It all looks confusing at present.

By: nick

nick — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:48:02 +0000

Bah, after buying some refreshments including some super hot chillies from a local and very well priced Asian food shop, I concede this article at the very least re highlights that THE PLACEBO EFFECT IS REAL, as real in certain tests as other active medication.

Expectation is the agent of pain relief, expectation is the agent of psychological progress, sure thumbs up to that one.

Sufferers can direct the attention of there mind onto subjects of their choice, including pain, thumbs up to that.

There are two processes . Peace & love

By: nick

nick — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:56:16 +0000

Placebo’s and working memory may use different aspects of executive power/ cognitive function.

(subjectively you would imagine a different process is going on when taking a “relieving substance” and “remembering a phone number”), but this isn’t about subjectivity.

The effects on reducing pain are additive, therefore the processes operate independently in relation to pain, either equally reducing a single well of pain (single well of pain model), or attacking different aspects of pain (multi well of pain model)

There are one or two cognitive processes involved in perceiving pain and at least two processes utilized in reducing it.

Its just doesn’t inspire the same curiosity as are the prime numbers random, or maybe it does, as we still don’t really know what we are trying to work out.

By: Jonny O.

Jonny O. — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:17:04 +0000

Hummm… I like this article.

There is much we don’t know about placebo. Sometimes, when we count to ten and think about the numbers, the pain will go away.

Regards,

Jonny from Norway