First "placebo gene" discovered

merry submitted, created time 1 month 1 day (www.newscientist.com)

For the first time, a gene is being linked to increased susceptibility to the placebo effect – the mysterious capacity some people have to benefit from sham treatments. The participants in one small study were told that they were being given anxiety medicine. Many of the participants' anxiety levels remained the same, but ten people improved dramatically, when tested, it was found that production of certain precursors to seratonin had increased.

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: neurotransmitters seratonin human behavior placebo effect genes

The Placebo Effect: Not All in Your Head

piggy submitted, created time 1 month 4 days (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

DESCRIPTION: To get a drug to market, pharmaceutical companies have to show that it works better than a placebo. But sometimes the placebo is just as powerful as the real thing. Just why our bodies respond so strongly to fake medicine has long been a mystery, but researchers are a step closer to solving that riddle, having picked out a particular gene that may be responsible for one type of placebo effect.

The placebo effect works because patients believe they are actually receiving treatment

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: TPH2 tryptophan hydroxylase-2 promoter social anxiety disorder amygdala placebo effect placebo

Are a Popular Doping Drug's Effects All in the Mind?

Drug restores speech in Alzheimer's but experts worry

sea-maid submitted, created time 5 months 2 weeks (news.yahoo.com)

Alzheimer's patients given a popular rheumatoid arthritis drug showed seemingly dramatic improvements in a small study, but some doctors worried that the early findings will raise premature hopes in patients and their families

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: placebo effect placebos rheumatoid arthritis autoimmune disorders autoimmunity arthritis speech Alzheimer's

Hope May Be Useless Against Cancer

Placebo effect seen in kids during allergy testing

diefish submitted, created time 1 year 4 months (www.reutershealth.com)

A "placebo effect" can cause a diverse array of symptoms in children when undergoing food allergy testing, according to the results of a study published in the current issue of Allergy. One of these effects is that some patients believe they have had an allergic reaction when they have actually received with the placebo.

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: placebo effect symptoms hives diarrhea vomiting

how the mind processes placebo effect

bianjie submitted, created time 1 year 5 months (www.bioedonline.org)

Neuroscientists have found that people who experience a strong dose of pleasure at the thought of an upcoming reward are more susceptible to the placebo effect.

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: pleasure reward susceptible placebo effect