The power of the placebo

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January 31, 2011 — In Latin, the word placebo means: I shall please. These days, researchers are very pleased with new findings that support the efficacy of placebos as pain and depression relievers. And with new ways to view the inner workings of the brain – when the body is subjected to things like minor pain or the power of suggestion – placebo researchers are beginning to map the mind/body connection in ways never thought possible. Dr. Dan Gottlieb hosts a fascinating discussion about placebos. He and his guests John Kelley, Tor Wager, and Guy Montgomery address “the sugar pill’s” role in the mind/body connection and explain new research that indicates placebos could be the cure for what ails you – in more ways than you think! John Kelley, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Endicott College, a Staff Psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He’s one of the authors of Harvard’s Open Placebo Study. Tor Wager is an Associate Professor of Psychology and researcher at the University of Colorado Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. He’s the Director of the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab. And Guy Montgomery is the Director of the Integrative Behavioral Medicine Program, Cancer Prevention and Control in the Department of Oncological Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Photo by Flickr user opensourceway

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