The cure or placebo? When it comes to music, we leave the choice to you. But in medicine both can be of interest: Yes, under certain conditions an empty capsule can actually provide relief. This is the “placebo effect”, a phenomenon that is based on psychological but also biological mechanisms.

A placebo is a treatment that has no specific effect on the disorder it is intended to relieve. It may be completely devoid of therapeutic properties (like an empty capsule) or have an effect unrelated to the condition being treated (like vitamin C prescribed to a flu patient). But contrary to expectations, placebos offer significant benefits in a number of situations, particularly in the treatment of mild or severe pain or nausea. We are even beginning to understand how: Imaging experiments have shown that their administration triggers changes in brain activity and leads to the production of molecules that promote our well-being, such as endorphins or Dopamine.

What we are increasingly understanding is that the response to placebo treatment depends on many factors, in particular the “therapeutic ritual”: the trust we place in our doctor, his compassion and the explanations he gives us This contributes to the effectiveness of a placebo prescription as they create an environment conducive to relief. On the patient’s side, personality traits such as optimism, their previous experiences and the expectations they have of the prescribed treatment also play a role. In addition, it is not excluded that there are genetic characteristics, for example at the level of genes, that are involved in the functioning of the system dopaminergic, cause some people to react more strongly to the placebo. However, everyone can benefit from it.

Obviously the placebo effect has its limits and cannot alleviate everything. But why avoid it when it can provide improvement in addition to active treatment or even alone when there is no effective treatment? So far we have given ethical reasons: Prescribing a placebo without saying so is a bit like lying to the patient. However, recent work suggests that the placebo effect can also be seen in informed patients: if a doctor explains why he is prescribing such a treatment and how it works at the brain level, his patients may reap the same benefits as they would otherwise Didn’t they know, or even more!

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Further information on the “honest” use of placebos can be found here The placebo effect in total transparency (CNRS le Journal, May 2023)

And to get back to your playlist: Why choose between Robert Smith and Brian Molko?

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