The question proposed in the title of this article caught my eye instantly, I hovered my mouse over the top of it for a second but decided to keep looking. After a minute I couldn't help myself because it wasn't the question but the writers answer that I couldn't shake, "I do." By the time I read through the article I realized the writer is not at all delusional believing in magic.
When people here magic the wizarding world created by JK Rowling may come to mind or you might even think of a jolly man in red bringing gifts to all on one special day in December. These "magical" things make magic seem far fetched and childlike but magic can be more than an idea in a fictional book or a story you tell your kids, it can be as simple as a stuffed bunny helping a young man overcome cancer. My grandfather has been battling lung cancer for two years and I have yet to hear anything about fairy god bunnies or any other talismans as being part of the treatment plans. In this particular case it seemed to have great impact on the authors survival. Being a person of faith I was really intrigued that a man of science could believe in something so unbelievable, but in times of struggle it's important to have a positive mindset. It is estimated that about 84% of the worlds population is religious. You could argue that magic and religion are connected and by that logic about 84% of the world believes in magic. Reading this article changed me from a nonbeliever to unsure which is impressive.
This article really interested me because its not always about the medicine helping you but the state of mind that your in and the "magic" that helps. For example when I was little and if I ever had a sickness my mom would give me a blanket to help make me feel better and I had always believed it worked when in reality the blanket didn't do much to help and it was more in my head thinking that it helped.
This week the New York Times has given me a new perspective on "magic", this is what interested me the most this week. My grandmother had lung cancer, thankfully she fought it off and doesn't have it anymore, but her days seemed uncertain and they varied from very good to very bad. She fought for her family and had very little confidence that she could get through it. Knowing that people have come up with a way, no matter how odd it may be, to mentally fight something it can only give hope to others. The comparison used in this article between "magic" and "hope" is becoming very similar, by putting your faith into something and believing it is good luck then it can completely turn your day around. The velvety rabbit used in the article is kind of like a rock to lean against, it holds you up and helps you put your faith into something. What my grandmother put her faith into was her family. The reason this article was what interested me most this week is that it was a type of realization, where I came to know how people mentally push through things as well as how my grandmother did.
2
Religion is mostly magical thinking, too.
3
I have been in turmoil over a non-medical issue I believe is important to my present and future and have been stuck in a complete dead end as to how to move forward. Yesterday, I woke up from a dream where I was talking to the person I needed to help me. The dream was so real, I could even hear the static over our long distance phone call.
Later in the day I was running across Park Avenue, trying to beat the light. I looked down and saw a single playing card on the road - the Joker. I looked at oncoming traffic, quickly gauged the timing and, of course, picked up the card. Such a good omen, who could resist?
2
Inform yourself about “placebo effects”. It is real , biological and beneficial especially when angsts of the mind, like pain and ?anxiety are present. The deeply held hope (prayer) that something (otherwise innocuous) will benefit you can actually benefit you when relief from stresses is desired. Much research has been done and there is more to come. Hope is a very strong human sentiment.
2
When I was a teenager, I had a large mole on my palm that I couldn't remember ever not having. One evening I was helping to make salad for dinner and mentioned to my mother that the wart made it difficult to cut up the cucumbers. She said she had read somewhere that rubbing a cucumber peel on a wart would make it go away. I was skeptical, and asked if she'd just made that up; she said no, she really had read it in a magazine. So I rubbed cucumber peel on the wart, and did it every night when I made the salad. And after a while, the wart went away. And then my mother told me she had just made it up.
The really weird thing is, I was always pretty sure she had. But I really hated that wart. It's never come back.
5
Above all the power of sincere prayers and of healing by God has been forgotten.
It is not "magic" or "superstition" but it works wonders.
Has done so since the Creation of the world.
3
Correction:
You mean, the BELIEF in "the power of sincere prayers and of healing by God", which is another example of what the article is about.
Gods are no more likely than Fairy God Bunnies to exist, from everything we can tell.
Fortunately, determination and hope in the face of adversity doesn't require that we embrace gods or any other superstitions.
"If a Fairy God Bunny comes into your life, embrace it."
Finally, my annual subscription fee has justified itself.
16
I don’t like to fly and I bring a small lion that sits on my shoulder. One time a flight attendant asked if I wanted something to drink. I shook my head no. Then she asked if my shoulder friend wanted anything. My row mates laughed as I did relieving my anxiety. This same lion has come to the hospital with me for my operations. The nurses even put a wrist band on him. Does he bring me luck? I don’t know but he makes me feel better about an uncomfortable situation and that’s all I need. First thing said after coming out from anesthesia was, ‘where’s my stuffed animal?’ At least I don’t feel alone and that is what matters most.
12
What affects the mind, affects the body. Cause and Effect.
8
I've never had to face cancer personally. But many times when I've had more minor problems, my medical doctors (consistently, not isolated one or two) have been very clear in saying that emotional states such as anxiety or depression contribute to medical conditions of all sorts.
Our thought life and emotional condition DOES directly our health at all times, inasmuch as they impact so many aspects of our physical being: our hormonal balance, our choices on what/when we eat, when we try to sleep, whether we sleep well, whether we choose to pursue medical treatment or not (if we are in fact in a position to choose that).
If it is science that heals us through medical technologies, then is it science that wounds us when we are exposed to chemical or other poisons through our environment?
YES: medical intervention is (usually) a blessing. YES: magical thinking is human and can also be a blessing. REMEMBER: Love is often described by scientists as a form of insanity because it can cause a person to do things that benefit another person/s, although the lover receives harm through this choice. And love is the ultimate magic in the universe. The fairy god bunny was a gift of love.
9
"Love is often described by scientists as a form of insanity"
That's news to me; from what I've seen, love is pretty well understood as an ordinary response of the human animal, and is seen in various forms in other pack animals.
Calling something magic may be a nice way of describing something we like, but I don't think we need to go so far as to suggest it is something more than a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Somebody or whomever or whatever who is fine tuning this universe has a sense of humor and obviously loves bunnies, rag dolls, crossed fingers, and owls who hoot in the night.
13
As an avowed and often cantankerous atheist...I too have fallen into the lure of talismans, and a few times incantations. In a world and life were we have not yet explained coincidences, random luck, and kismet'y stuff...its hard not to at least give a little power to such things. When sick I'd imagine it can be very powerful.
Hey, if it helps ease the pain of illness and the all too often feelings of being alone in a world of "surroundedness", more power to it.
Yes, we can give things/objects and of course people extra-ordinary power. But it originates from us and we transfer that "power" (call it what you will) to the it or the them. But the thing or person doesn't truly gain the power. Its ours to control.
Just stop short of endangering children, anyone really, with strict religious beliefs that deny medical treatment. And please my New Agey friends, stop smudging everyplace you go, and stop enriching all the shysters selling their tricks, notions and ridiculously priced rocks. (you want a rock, I'll get you a great rock, for cheap.)
9
Why is it that articles about superstition appeal to science to show that superstition can be beneficial, but articles about science never appeal to superstition to establish the value of science?
11
Because this is America, the most religious country on the face of the earth. Unfortunately.
Oh how I wish I could post a picture here! When I had to move to Hawaii, because of my now ex’s new job, just after I’d been diagnosed with my second cancer, a dear friend, Sandy Scharnhorst gave me a rather large, fluffy duck! I took it with me to Kapiolani Hospital faithfully as my good luck companion, only to discover that it was a very handy rest for balancing the hand and the IV! It saw me through! These days, in my alone-ness, it is my snuggy comforter. It listens to everything and absorbs all the tears. Around my neck hangs a garland of breast cancer surviving amulets, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Buddhist! Now they possess the true magical powers of the prayers that kept me alive through two cancers, an ugly divorce, a mother’s death and alienation from a son! But magical amulets can’t take karmic causes away!
8
So much of healing revolves around beliefs, mental attitude, and thoughts. If your stuffed animal helped you to fight your disease, so much the better.
I for one am so happy that you overcame your affliction, and are back to enjoying life.
Good news on a Monday.
3
You can go home after a bad day and unburden yourself to your dog. Fido will look at you adoringly and act the faithful companion he always has been. You'll feel better and the day's frustrations will seem to shrink. Why shouldn't it work with malignant tumors or pneumonia?
Articles like these can do a lot of harm. Many people won't get past the heart-warming image of a magic and mysterious and fashion-forward bunny and gloss over the massive amount of science and real-world experience behind the writer's recovery. Having done so, they may choose not to seek proper medical advice and their condition may not be treated as it should be. There is already too much faith-based medicine, whether it's religion for the right, or crystals and vortexes on the left. There is no science that supports such claims. Another article in this newspaper states that life expectancy has doubled worldwide in the past century. *None* of that can be attributed to compelling, spine-tingling, awe-inspiring mysticism. In fact, much of can be attributed to the demise of talismanic and shamanistic practices and rise of evidence-based public health programs.
This is a cute and endearing story (I have a teddy bear) but that's all it is. Take your bunny to the hospital, but don't let it into the operating room.
3
Religions, great and small, mix spirituality, societal protocols and superstition within their structures. Belief, a uniquely human attribute, is a powerful force, for both good and evil.
Matthew said it well in the Bible, "...if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there', and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."
This expansive metaphor may stretch credulity, but it illustrates the inherent power of belief, which is at the heart of superstition.
7
I believe whatever we do or experience in life should be meaningful and make us feel life is worth living. I am a Christian and God's love brings meaning, happiness, hope, love, all things beautiful in my life. His love is meaningful.
3
I recommend the book “Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality” by Barbara Bradley Haggerty. She discusses the impact of religious belief and actions on health in part of the book.
2
Make no mistake about it. There is such a thing as a placebo effect. As a registered nurse, I have always felt that treatments worked best when the patient and the medical team believed in them. I also think those treatment stopped working when the patient and the healthcare providers stopped believing. Can I prove this? No. But all the same, there is such a thing as the placebo effect.
11
As someone who does not have the excellent prognosis that the author did, this article taps into one of my frustrations with cancer survivors who take credit for their own recovery. Too many people believe that if you have the right attitude, religious belief, or magical talisman, you can cure yourself. It is within your power to be cured so it is your fault if you ‘fail’. Science saved the author but it cannot yet save us all - no matter how much we engage in magical thinking.
45
I'm sorry about your health situation. I've never had cancer and can't imagine how I'd feel given a poor prognosis. But I take issue with your criticism of those who believe they can cure themselves. Diseases are complex and so is healing. I believe that human beings have the innate ability to heal, to varying degrees, depending on a multitude of factors (sometimes with the help of science and technology, and sometimes through other means, including practices and therapies that science is not yet able to explain). As someone who has lived with chronic illness, I feel that I have a pretty nuanced understanding of health and healing at this point. I've had ups and downs over many years. Of course, not everyone will recover from illness or be cured of cancer. But it doesn't necessarily follow that those who are not cured are somehow at fault or have failed. That's not the implication when someone takes credit for their own healing. That perspective oversimplifies the complexity of human beings and the forces that affect us. Coming to terms with having serious health issues challenges us on many levels, but I think it's important to recognize the subtleties and shades of gray instead of thinking in the black and white terms of success and failure.
5
People say bizarre things to people who get cancer. Many of these bizarre things come from well meaning folks who have a belief in the power of remaining "positive" that rivals any religious belief, superstition, or faith in a talisman I've ever encountered. Pity the poor cancer patient who expresses any negative emotion - such as I'm terrified and disgusted by what's growing in my body - in the presence of a fundamentalist positivity believer. The frightened patient is admonished that they MUST stay positive or, basically, die. And if they die it will be their own negativity that brings it on.
This is not to say that trying to remain hopeful in the face of cancer is not a good thing - it is - but that belief in the magical powers of steadfast positivity has taken on a cult like quality that sometimes hurts cancer patients.
Don't even get me started on "everything happens for a reason" and the folks who ask why you got cancer. (I actually had an ordained minister tell me, with the best possible intentions, that I needed to learn to love myself so this wouldn't happen to me again.)
3
This made me happy. Thank you.
Is there a word for taking pleasure in someone else's aptitude for creative play after becoming an adult?
Well done!
18
I do believe in the power of the spirit. It's an energy force that permeates the Universe and all things within it. I think of it as the spiritual equivalent to Dark Matter. It is everywhere and nowhere; measureless (as attested to be our current scientific understanding) but impactful to everything within its domain. It drives everything forward, ever unfolding, in untold number of fractal permutations.
The focal point of each permutation is a unique self defining "I," the soul, which resides within each living thing. In effect each foci is a quantum point entangled with that measureless state, one which converts the measureless nature of that energy into an organic sustaining one, manifesting the measureless force into an emergent organizing principle which is its biological equivalent.
Does this sound kooky, weird, or so much gobbledegook to you? Well time to think stranger still. All life arises out of that emergent organizing principle. You are but one in an endless number of its permutations. So where am I going with all of this? If your consciousness be considered a lens on that measureless power is it not possible to focus it onto a specific healing need? It may be subtle, but it also may have true worth, as this article indicates.
Just some thoughts worth about that much.
John~
American Net'Zen
8
As is widely known to have been noted by Shakespeare: “There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
I should think this includes medical philosophy too.
Mysteries abound.
30
Be stunned by the amazing video at NASA; Fly through Orion.
If one does not appreciate the power of God they should contemplate—at midnight—the plethora of stars in the sky.
1
Or, one could appreciate the power of nature, and contemplate the plethora of stars in the sky, as I often have, without the slightest thought of gods.
1
Magic, words we use to get a fix on things we know we don't know, and let's say 200 years ago, how about things "we don't know that we don't know, or 500 years in the future when we will know that to get to Proxima Centauri, and the earth like planet which in August 2016 was detected orbiting Proxima Centauri, it will take seconds through commonplace use of warping and folding spacetime.
Future generations will wonder at our use of descriptors such as "wormholes" as we attempt to make sense, using our still caveman-like intelect.
The newfound world, known as Proxima b, is about 1.3 times more massive than Earth, which suggests that the exoplanet is a rocky world.
Incidentally, the planet is also in the star's habitable zone, that just-right range of distances where liquid water can exist. Proxima b lies just 4.7 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) from its host star and completes one orbit every 11.2 Earth-days. As a result, it's likely that the exoplanet is tidally locked, meaning it always shows the same face to its host star, just as the moon shows only one face (the near side) to Earth."
See link -
https://www.space.com/18090-alpha-centauri-nearest-star-system.html
We know we are alive, insofar as we are able to understand what alive currently is, but truly if only we admit it, we are likely no more aware than the original bacteria from which all life descended, see BBC report -
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161026-the-secret-of-how-life-on-earth-...
1
Well worth reading for an eye-opening exploration of the power of belief and suggestion:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/books/review-in-cure-accepting-the-mi...
2
Simply put: Magic is Mind over Matter.
2
Magic? Really? Are we this scared that fairy tales and make believe are what we rely on? An absolute waste of time.
4
Given that attitude often influences health, I'd say anything that kept hope alive isn't magic but another tool for the kit. Any anxious person keeping an eye on a suspicious pain knows the pain often continues as long as you worry about it, and improves when you don't. Something that makes you laugh or smile in the midst of fear isn't magic, it's a different kind of drug. Just think how good a round of deep belly-laughing makes you feel.
5
Every one in our family knows that Teddy, our family teddy bear has a special meaning in some way to us all. I brought Teddy to my father's hospital room after his spine surgery. He walked out of there that night.
8
Good enough for me. I'll keep my teddy bear close by.
But if my congenital spinal issues don't clear up, I'll be back to you.
1
A teddy will always be there for you, no matter what. He/She will listen to all your secrets, NEVER telling anyone anything about them. For the first time in a long time I forgot to take either Dr Ivan The Bearable or Angel with me to the doctor. I just took my loving husband. So, while the doctor was squeezing a very sore part of a finger, to get all the ‘bad’ out, I tried to break hubby’s hand. If one of my bears had been there, my husband’s hand would have been safe. When my doctor opened his own office about 20 years ago, we gave him a bear. It now sits on top of the cabinets in one exam room. Made the mistake of giving a ‘collectable’ Bear. But, he got a huggable bear for his kid patients (& last week ME). All stuffies, loveys, whatever you call them, will never hurt you. What else can you say that about in this world?I have so many bears (& others) now, that 2 go with us almost every time we go out.They call themselves the ‘anti adoption patrol’. They think they have enough siblings. But, bears still make eye contact.So, still get adopted.Those who love baseball & football spend most of the time in the livingroom with hubby.Others drift in & out of the bedroom.It is possible to have too many.But, I have not yet found out what that number is. Oh, I’m a kid of 67. Live with moderate to severe chronic pain, do as the doctor orders & when it all gets too much, hug a bear. Just asked the current ones on duty if what I’ve said is true. They concur. Magic is the spice of life.
2
NO, I believe in self-belief, humor, best friends (could be a bunny,) and positivity, not failed magical thinking. That silly stuff is for religionists, who thinks there's a man in the sky, who sits on a cloud, and has power over all of us. "He" is also responsible for child cancer, then, I guess, and all the bad things that happen to us, everyday. What a guy!
8
Yeah, what a guy! We are here to learn and to help make the world a better place. Yes, it's a long and slow progress but small pox and polio is now a disease of the past.
As for children dying of cancer I have seen plenty of that and it is a living nightmare. But I like to think many of those kids have decided to come back as doctors and scientists to help eradicate this horrible disease. It's been well over 25 years since I was involved in this and hopefully many of them have just graduated and are now ready to step in and do what they can do.
This small planet is a school and there are hard courses that many of us have taken. We can all make a difference even if we just give a stranger who is walking toward us a small, friendly smile.
3
Best of luck to your sister Julie
28
To quote Chekov: A single delusion is worth a host of truths.
14
Just ask Trump supporters. ;)
5
"When I first got sick, I read every evidence-based, peer-reviewed study I could get my hands on, so I could make the best-informed treatment decisions. My odds of survival were actually pretty decent, but I found that data wasn’t enough. "
The survival rate for testicular cancer is 99% for stage I and 96% for stage II. That's better than pretty decent. Of course if he said that it would reveal the rest of the article to be the meaningless tripe that it is.
6
What an unfortunate comment and attitude, and one that entirely misses the point of the article. I found it hopeful and uplifting, myself.
4
PDS, have you had cancer and a mutilating surgery? For some people, odds are not helpful, hopeful numbers. When you are given, for example, 96% odds of survival, that means your chances of surviving cancer for 5 years are 96 out of 100. The corollary is that you have a 4% chance of DYING from cancer in 5 years. When you are the one with the cancer, it is hard to escape the fear that you will be one of the unlucky 4%. A little compassion here . . . .
6
Magic is as real as the Earth is flat. There is another way to "explain" extraordinary things but it is never by misleading or plain falsehood. All anyone could ask you is to "plunge" in reality to find explanation. By deceiving people with falsehood you only do harm in the end. BE REAL and kind to truth. Do you think you can do that Steven?
2
Nature created after million of years of data collection and experiments an internal treatment plan for living creatures, that is called immune system. All cure finally affected through this system, except surgery. And our knowledge of this system is very limited - some cellular pathways only, not much deeper than a plumber's visual inspection. The science of immune system and its relation to mind and body is still mistry. The intelligence of the life system is spread thorough out the body cells and the all the parasitic cells in the body and we are looking only to few cancer cells to cure the diesces. Mind is an important element of our life system and any device that keeps the mind in peaceful and happy state will definitely impact on life system. There are three indirect ways we can access mind - cognition, emotions and life force (joyful activity). All of them can be used to utilize mind to aid the treatment of a diesces. It is not magic - o way to touch the deeper dimension of our life.
5
IDK - my Trump voodoo doll is just not doing it.
38
Oh, you have one, also! I'm thinking pins just aren't enough. Maybe high voltage electrodes.
1
Great article and congratulations on your success in overcoming testicular cancer. Of course you should utilize the best tools that science and medicine has to offer. But there is nothing wrong with being irrational, as long as you don’t avoid rational thought. (The current political situation comes to mind.) The “irrational” mind has magnificent power to heal, far beyond what science-based medicine currently understands or accepts.
17
Spiritus quidem sacris, you know?
1
As a healthcare professional who has also studied and practiced mind-body modalities, it’s always bothered me that placebo is dismissed by science as a confounding factor, even a nuisance (“just a placebo”). I appreciate the author’s unapologetic embrace of the phenomenon, in spite of his background in science. Whether on a gurney in the ER, or getting chemo in a clinic, our patients’ profound sense of helplessness and fear can’t be alleviated by a drug. The Placebo Effect can be a valuable adjunctive tool used to encourage patients to participate in their own healing process.
30
Huldufolk have important role in Icelandic and Faroese society. There is a wonderful article about these creatures in The Atlantic, October 2013. It is possible to have and live entirely different kinds of lives in this world.
I say take healing from where you can get it ... but not too much from chemicals.
5
This is a type of placebo, and I think that's just fine. We know that stress, fear, and unhappiness can affect the physical being; anything that assuages those destructive feelings is worthy of respect.
29
jsutton--A placebo is an example of positive thinking, where you believe that science is providing you with a solution, and you expect it to work. sometimes, it doesn't. It has nothing to do with magic.
5
You write that Ted Kaptchuk is a physician. He is an acupuncturist who works at Harvard. He has never claimed to be a physician.
Allopathic medicine is the dominant mode of diagnosis and treatment in our world today. However, it does not have all the answers. It is important for patients to find what works for them.
You write that you believed the slogan, Better living through chemistry. This is the major tenant of allopathic medicine; drugs are the primary mode of treatment for many conditions.
However, there is an entire, vibrant world of diagnosis , treatment and relationships with our suffering patients that is not limited to chemistry.
Your article speaks of one aspect of this.
12
Indeed, the provided link to his biography at Harvard shows he is a professor of medicine there, and his degree listed is a BA, not a degree that confers the title “Dr.”
A rigorous clinical trial of new interventions should include a control group, patients who receive an inert treatment. If the inert control intervention were truly ineffective, one would expect zero benefit in this group. But time and time again, there is some fraction, sometimes in the 20-30% range, who experience benefit from the inert control treatment. This tells me there is a profound placebo effect in many interventions. If we could harvest that, we would have a much healthier society. That said, big Pharma wouldn’t make much money, so we won’t be seeing this anytime soon.
15
Why do people believe in magic? Because it works. Placebo is one explanation, but there are others. A recent book, Real Magic, describes a century of gold-standard, peer reviewed empirical evidence indicating that the mind is capable of far more than what our textbooks suggest. This was also the topic of the feature article in a recent issue of the American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association.
3
With all due respect, it is not correct to directly assign the apparent effect measured in a control group to a placebo effect. This is a common mistake. The point is: Besides the placebo effect there are many common reasons why the condition of individuals in the control group tends to improve during a fake treatment. One option is that the control group was given a fake treatment that actually had an affect. (The glass of water taken with the fake pain killer may help against the headache. ) Second option may be that conditions changed during the treatment period (e.g. amount of pollen in the air reduced due to seasonal variation, giving the impression that the placebo treatment had an effect on cold symptoms). But third, and most importantly, many ailments have a tendency to improve in time without intervention. That alone makes that in many studies the condition in the control group is in fact expected to improve even if there is no true placebo effect.
11
RH, your point is well taken. Would regression to the mean be another factor? I am not sure if it is exactly the same as your third reason, but maybe it's included in it?
How’s this for full circle, between molecules and magic: if someone responds to placebo pain relief, the placebo effect is reversed if they are secretly given naltrexone, which blocks the effect of the body’s own opioids.
The placebo effect of antidepressants is bigger than the biological effect of antidepressants. (This is contrary to what the article hinted at.) This means that doctors are duty bound to maximise the placebo effect of their treatments. They are also duty bound to not use placebos because that is deceiving the patient. (I heard that placebos still work, even if the patient is told they are a placebos.)
By definition, placebos actually work. That means that homeopathy actually works. Homeopaths are still (?unwitting) charlatans, however. They think that a mixture will be most potent if it is diluted to the point that there are no molecules left of the active ingredient.
9
I think it is important to recognize that some people are much more suggestible than others, and placebos work much better in some people than in others. The findings on placebos are much more nuanced than you suggest. I struggled with a severe episode of depression for 4 years, after decades of using antidepressants that worked well for many years before failing. I tried at least 5 drugs during that period & supplementary drugs, none of which relieved the depression alone or in combination. Finally, with a new psychiatrist, we found one 8 months ago, that is working well & I can function again.
Antidepressants had always relieved my severe depressive episodes before, so each time I started another drug I believed it would work, and yet none did. So my belief did not cause the placebo effect to kick in. I wish my brain or belief were stronger, but apparently I require a drug that actually has a chemically effective interaction with my body. Placebos are sometimes effective, but they are not a reliable medical solution to most illnesses.
10
Thanks AN - yes, that’s *naloxone. But I would also be careful: “by definition,” placebo is something pleasing. The term itself has nothing to do with whether anything “works” or not. As you point out, biological mechanisms may indeed be engaged when placebo treatments are administered. But strictly speaking (and “work” is serious business), we are still far from being able to say that homeopathy works. Yes, an engineless car can reach an uphill destination, but after having descended from somewhere, or being pushed or pulled.
4
I had wanted to respond to Andrew’s comment along the same lines. There’s a tsunami of anti-antidepressant sentiment in every publication that mirrors the reverse that preceded it. Personally, because I too take them and my story is very similar to yours, I can attest to their non-placebo effect.
I wonder if the so-called fact that ADs are no better than placebos is relative to the over-prescription of them, for people for who aren’t destined to benefit from them, just because they are often prescribed by GPs with little or no expertise in the matter.
I think a little common sense on the matter is sorely needed to resolve the issue.