Placebo Effects

Why goals are formed

Goals formed, driven by reason & emotion, sometimes convincing this isn't enough, need confidence to achieve goal= self-efficacy. Also determines goals people set themselves & actions made to achieve goals. Health goals often formed by persuasion in media/press articles with scientific research findings. Adequate health information available to make good decisions and to self health goals is important to help people be more health literate, it influences peoples choice about their behaviours, weighing risks & benefits of behaviours. However many fail to set/pursue good health related goals despite their knowledge, it is crucial to instruct people what to do to make changes in the right direction. Health goals sometimes made after reasoned decision making. Available information is likely to support goal, seem to outweigh cost. Peoples certain health goals can formed because of their emotions & feelings/driven by social comparisons, logical reasoning's/direct pressure, feel compelled to undertake a challenge after observing behaviour desired to replicate ( may/may not be helpful, depending on factors e.g. relevance & influence)

Therapeutic used of placebo effects

Health professionals also function as placebos, same as non-specific effect of drugs as they validate that what their patients think is wrong is occurring, expectations and outcome of treatment, provide resources for healing, etc. Ethics- to humour patient, use inert substance, especially is hypochondriac or neurotic, most likely to do harm. May lead patient to be sicker than assumed and encourage dependence on pills.

Physiological explanations of placebo effects

Most are related to expectations, conditioning (prior experience with treatments condition healing), perception explanations (placebos effect perception of symptom rather than the real symptom), validation or Hawthorne effects ( based patients assume health professional wont give a diagnosis/treatment unless they have valid reasons to see them). These explanations can result in reduction in uncertainty of future for the patient, decrease anxiety and improve compliance.

Psychological explanations of placebo effects

Most are related to expectations, conditioning (prior experience with treatments condition healing), perception explanations (placebos effect perception of symptom rather than the real symptom), validation or Hawthorne effects ( based patients assume health professional wont give a diagnosis/treatment unless they have valid reasons to see them). These explanations can result in reduction in uncertainty of future for the patient, decrease anxiety and improve compliance.

Factors affecting occurrence of placebo effects

Placebo-responders cannot be identified as a particular group, It is more associated with their outcome expectations. Enthusiasm f health professional for treatment and the major factors behind the wonder drug effect, new treatment to work better when still new to market. A better relationship with patients marks bigger placebo response, greater expectations for outcome. The situation treatment occurs has the elements of stereotyping including health professionals uniform and manners, furniture, décor, interaction, due t conditioning in repeated previous exposure perhaps to get better, become less anxious, also patients expect prescriptions after consultations and without may cause patient t be unhappy.

Physiological explanations

Placebos also produce biochemical and physiological changes that can explain the phenomena observed. The body produced substances such endorphins which can give physical changes states or ongoing physical processes. Endorphins are pain relievers, increase during exercise, sometime yoga and chronic pain and may account for placebo pain relief. Immune function can also be affected by a variety of events cognitively such as stress and anxiety and depression, these treatments which these states improve immune function.

Placebo Effects

Proportion of subjects who respond to a supposedly inert treatment in a randomised control trial, preferably double blind: a trail in which neither researcher nr recipient knows whether a real treatment or placebo is administered. In randomised control trial patients are assigned at random to receive the treatment or placebo. When tested without a placebo control condition, treatments are much more likely to be judged effective. Placebo effects reported between 30-50% of subjects in treatments when controlled studies are done. Results of placebo include affect of any treatment such as symptoms and underlying bodily states such as dilation of airways. There is more evidence of placebos effecting illness than disease, especially surgical procedures. Placebos also produce side effects which are the common well known side effects of real treatment. The more mechanical the placebo, the more effective.