Originally published at: Taking imaginary pills can reduce anxiety | Boing Boing
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For those who smoke weed, just miming the act of smoking a joint and blowing a big cloud of smoke can give you a good high for about 30 seconds. Repeat as necessary.
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I recently had this discussion with my psychiatrist when reviewing my mental health state after a medication change. If a placebo works, is it really a placebo? Sure, it doesn’t have an active ingredient, but if you can show proof of an affect isn’t that what matters?
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Well, sort of. The issue is more predictability. There is no question that placebo works, and in fact sometimes works even when you know it is a placebo. But is not a predictable effect. When you are using pharmaceuticals, of course, it’s not always predictable either, but it is more so. there are also ethical considerations when you are knowingly deceiving your patient. I have used herbal meds as “sort of” placebo drugs at times, with mixed results. For obvious reasons, psych meds and pain meds are particularly amenable to the placebo effect, since you are basically convincing the brain to do what you want it to do. I would not try placebo antibiotics, although there have been case reports of chemo drugs showing a strong placebo effect.
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When they’re extra on sale, I enjoy grabbing a jar or two of benign woo gummies. My latest batch is turmeric/ginger/black pepper with a peach flavor base. Last winter it was elderberry with a little bit of zinc/vitamin c.
Sometimes i just pop them and go. Usually I try to have a moment of mindfulness to focus on my wellbeing while I chew thoroughly.
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I’m trying Homeopathic Placebo; where I imagine taking imaginary pills.
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Might even work for non-smokers too (deep breaths!)
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I’m holding off. I just know there’s a study around the corner showing a link between regularly taking a placebo and increased rates of all cause mortality.
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Maybe not so much placebo with elderberry
Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review - PMC.
Elderberry contains anthocyanins, a subset of flavonoids which may have immunomodulating and possibly anti-inflammatory effects [10]. Anthocyanins can attach to (and render ineffective) viral glycoproteins that enable viruses to enter host cells, thereby potentially having an inhibitory effect on viral infection. Extracts of elderberry have demonstrated in-vitro to have inhibitory effects on influenza A and influenza B viruses [11, 12] as well as H1N1 “swine” flu virus [13]
(Full disclosure, I grow elderberries and prepare syrup for our use, and take it daily.)
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Do they still make the candy cigarettes we always had on the counter when I was little?
My mom smoked like a chimney back then so I always had a pack of those around so I could copy her.
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Don’t Bogart that notion, man?
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I find my anti-anxiety placebos to be more efficacious when taken with a glass of Scotch.
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wait! I wonder if anyone has studied the effect of grapefruit on placebo…
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Considering the nocebo effect, that’s not necessarily a stupid question.
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Gee, I had a chocolate bar the other day that was made with lemon, candied ginger, and black pepper. It was very tasty, and it certainly made me feel better 
I thought at first that the headline was kinda “off”—because placebos are actual pills, not imaginary, right?—until I actually read Mark’s post and realized that it contains a link to a study about imagining taking a pill—!
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So - Laetrile works?
You go right ahead- more real medicine for me.
And don’t try and sell me any of your damn oregano!
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Sounds great, but I’ll wait for the cheaper generic
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Not as good as the edibles!
Given that a lot of my anxiety issues are caused by imaginary conversations, this tracks.
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