Many people are wondering what placebo really means. Once in while we hear it from the health professionals or in movies. What placebo really means? A placebo (pluh-SEE-bo) is a substance that contains no active medicinal ingredients. It’s usually a tablet, capsule or injection containing a harmless substance, such as saline (salt water), that’s made to look like a “real “ drug. Placebos, also called dummy pills, are sometimes administered as part of research studies. Scientists often compare an experimental treatment with a placebo to assess the treatment with a placebo to assess the treatment with a placebo to assess the treatment’s effectiveness. For example, they may give one group of people standard therapy plus an experimental drug or treatment, while they give while they give a second group standard therapy plus a placebo.
Thus, improvements that occur in the experimental treatment group that are different from those in the placebo group are felt to be due to the action of the new treatment. Although placebos contain no active medicine, they can produce positive results (or even negative ones). The power suggestion is believed to be involved in this phenomenon, known as the “placebo effect.” Your belief that a treatment works may cause your body to release naturally occurring pain killers, making you feel better. The placebo effect may explain why some alternative therapies provide positive results.