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[Akigagak]

I hope you know you just proved yourself incapable of saying the words "There have been placebos that were intended to, and did, make people think it would kill them."

[Neonivek]

I hope you know you just proved yourself incapable of saying the words "There have been placebos that were intended to, and did, make people think it would kill them."

That sentence makes no sense to me. Why would I say that?

Are you saying that the reason people doubted what I said because they thought I was refering to a placebo someone thought would cure them, and because of that belief they died?

That would make no sense unless they were so elated that their heart gave out or they fainted, fell backwards out of a hot air balloon, and fell onto some high tension power lines that burst and electrocuted him, then he fell head first onto cement.

[Duke 2.0]

 Alright alright, chill out people. Especially Neonivek, but everybody else as well. Lemmie try to understand this:

 Somebody said something that Neonivek took the wrong way, so he responded. In the wrong way. Thus others responded to that, and it just spiraled out of control.

 People are not claiming that it is a super cure nor useless. That would be stupid, and surely we are all smart enough to avoid that. The Placebo effect is helpful as an assistant to normal medication, allowing one to help reduce symptoms without pumping more drugs into a persons body without knowing their effects. In a society where a disease is unknown and not terribly lethal the Placebo Effect can provide a 'cure' as the body thinks it can deal with whatever problem it is. That is what Cow was likely going after.

 If something is uncureable you need to ask about the context. Is it uncureable by modern standards or by absolute standards? Or by Greek standards? Or by Indian standards? Canadian standards? It's all about context folks.

[Neonivek]

Ohh don't worry Duke, I am aware that Incurable is only a reference to a disease that is incapable of being cured at the time. I was just being silly because people were bending placebo cures to the extreme, so I bent "Incurable" to the extreme.

[Duke 2.0]

 Trust me man, they are taking it the wrong way. Your brand of sarcasm is causing some confusion among us. Might want to play things straight for a little bit.

[Neonivek]

Trust me man, they are taking it the wrong way. Your brand of sarcasm is causing some confusion among us. Might want to play things straight for a little bit.

Well Sarcasm and unintentional hard to understand writing.

[Itnetlolor]

Here's a pretty bizarre case that has a chance of working; depending on how willing you are to it. And I think it will make more sense of things, and snap this topic back on rails.

If you take advantage of the placebo effect on yourself (somehow, there is a way to get around your own mindset), you can actually evolve either your psychological, or physiological behavior.

In some cases, you can become a human ant (a common result in my case; freakish strength at times; provided I don't strain myself.), and out-perform even the burliest of people; or at least, have a bit more endurance/effort to spend. And in the case of psychology, you can trick yourself into longer time frames (time awake for a project, let's say), or to react completely differently to a given situation.

If you were to make the right kinds of New Year's Resolutions, let's say, and make it in a way that can adjust your attitude, and keep it in that way; while you're actually lying to yourself at the time, it could eventually take on a character-changing effect, and you become the lie, you become the mask.

A good example: A New Year's resolution, I have tested such a thing on myself. It was more of a wise collection of quotes, both equally inspiring, and badass if said in the right order; and it forms a pretty good statement as well.

In this order: "I reject your reality, and substitute my own." "I know what the fuck I'm doing!" "Just who the hell do you think I am?"

Translation: "Who cares what you believe in, I believe in what I know; and what I know is what I'm doing. I'm not the person you previously knew me as." --My New Year's Resolution Independence Creed Translation (for 2009, and for the rest of my life)

Previously a more timid person last year; using that placebo of a resolution on myself for even the first 3 months of the year nearly did a 180 on my personality, which I had for eons (and was thoroughly sick of it). I liked the change; thus, I invoked the 'becoming the mask' trope to taking effect (along with 'Growing a Beard'), thanks to a placebo. I've never taken more risks (and believed I had a higher chance of succeeding) in a single year than when I applied that. To tell the truth, my odds really sucked. Especially with surfing; and it's now a sport I'm more willing to take on nowadays (I actually gained more skill, regardless of wiping out rather constantly; I'm not half-bad nowadays.).

What can I say, the technique works. But it requires knowing your own psychology well enough to pull a Xanatos Roulette on yourself to achieve an active placebo.

[Nilocy]

I do enjoy the concept of mind over matter a lot. But I'm just too lazy to try.

[Idiom]

Placebo effect is stronger in recent times, and has been slowly increasing over the years to the point of success rates that put real medicine to shame.

Slashdot I think. Search "placebo" on slashdot, there's a bunch of articles on this sort of thing.

[Nilocy]

Placebo effect is stronger in recent times, and has been slowly increasing over the years to the point of success rates that put real medicine to shame.

Slashdot I think.

Possibly a general concious awareness that having drugs pumped into you for the slightly cold is a negative thing?

But then again, it has been 'real medicine' for a long time has it not?

[Idiom]

Possibly a general concious awareness that having drugs pumped into you for the slightly cold is a negative thing?

But then again, it has been 'real medicine' for a long time has it not?

Excessive treatment for things that don't really need treatment is my guess.

Part of that placebo effect is probably partly what makes some minor "real medication" successful in the first place. You don't need aspirin for a headache unless it's being caused by some brain condition or something internal. A lot of things medication is prescribed for is caused by environmental and other external conditions that a pill can't fix. Stop staring at the big bright TV or computer screen, sit and rest for awhile, drink some water, quit thinking about how much the headache hurts (More placebo?)... there are so many little causes to some things that don't require a pill to fix in the first place, yet there's about two dozen different pills for each. Take one and you believe it will stop whatever ails you, I'll bet it's the huge portion of medicine that is trivial which creates this increase in placebo effect vs real medication.

[Leafsnail]

Placebo effect is stronger in recent times, and has been slowly increasing over the years to the point of success rates that put real medicine to shame.

Slashdot I think. Search "placebo" on slashdot, there's a bunch of articles on this sort of thing.

Well, that's why they always do double blind trials for new drugs.  If it's a prescription drug, it's passed its double blind trial (although often the placebo does contribute significantly).

[Idiom]

If it's a prescription drug, it's "passed" its double blind trial

Fixed. At least for me in the USA.

[ChairmanPoo]

Placebo effect is stronger in recent times, and has been slowly increasing over the years to the point of success rates that put real medicine to shame.

eeh, again, obviously not. Placebos are not magical.

[cowofdoom78963]

Placebo effect is stronger in recent times, and has been slowly increasing over the years to the point of success rates that put real medicine to shame.

eeh, again, obviously not. Placebos are not magical.

There is no such thing as magic.

Obviously the Placebos are working becuase of the magnificant power of SCIENCE!