[LINK] electromagnetic fields effect brain activity

[Adrian Chadd]

On Thu, Jan 11, 2007, Jan Whitaker wrote:
> At 01:04 PM 11/01/2007, Stewart Fist wrote:
> >For instance, if placebo just means that the patient feels better having
> >been given a pill, then why not say so.  Why give it a fancy medical term?
> 
> at least it's not an acronym
> 
> >Similarly, if nocebo just refers to the psychological effects, then call it
> >hypochondria or irrational-fear, or whatever.
> 
> I hadn't heard this before, but it doesn't mean fear or hypochondria. 
> It means taking medicine that should work, but doesn't because the 
> person expects it not to. Placebos used in blind studies employ inert 
> substances - sugar pills for example - and the placebo effect is the 
> statistical part of the sample who get better even when they take 
> those and not the treatment with the active ingredient. Whether or 
> not it's the body healing itself or a psychological predisposition 
> because the person thinks they are taking an active medicine is of 
> course debatable.

ISTR stuff popping up in class about the reactions of patients who -know-
they're taking the sugar pills being different to those who don't know
either way and are actually taking sugar pills.

(Again, I wonder if there's any hard research on it..)



Adrian