The power of the placebo effect - Emma Bryce
-
0:07 - 0:11In 1996, 56 volunteers took part
in a study -
0:11 - 0:15to test a new painkiller called
Trivaricaine. -
0:15 - 0:19On each subject, one index finger
was covered in the new painkiller -
0:19 - 0:22while the other remained untouched.
-
0:22 - 0:25Then, both were squeezed
in painful clamps. -
0:25 - 0:30The subjects reported that the treated
finger hurt less than the untreated one. -
0:30 - 0:31This shouldn't be surprising,
-
0:31 - 0:35except Trivaricaine wasn't actually
a painkiller, -
0:35 - 0:39just a fake concotion
with no pain-easing properties at all. -
0:39 - 0:43What made the students so sure
this dummy drug had worked? -
0:43 - 0:46The answer lies in the placebo effect,
-
0:46 - 0:47an unexplained phenomenon
-
0:47 - 0:52wherein drugs, treatments, and therapies
that aren't supposed to have an effect, -
0:52 - 0:53and are often fake,
-
0:53 - 0:56miraculously make people feel better.
-
0:56 - 1:00Doctors have used the term placebo
since the 1700s -
1:00 - 1:05when they realized the power of
fake drugs to improve people's symptoms. -
1:05 - 1:08These were administered when proper drugs
weren't available, -
1:08 - 1:11or if someone imagined they were ill.
-
1:11 - 1:16In fact, the word placebo
means "I shall please" in Latin, -
1:16 - 1:19hinting at a history of placating
troubled patients. -
1:19 - 1:23Placebos had to mimic the real treatments
in order to be convincing, -
1:23 - 1:25so they took the form of sugar pills,
-
1:25 - 1:27water-filled injections,
-
1:27 - 1:29and even sham surgeries.
-
1:29 - 1:34Soon, doctors realized that duping people
in this way had another use: -
1:34 - 1:36in clinical trials.
-
1:36 - 1:40By the 1950s, researchers were using
placebos as a standard tool -
1:40 - 1:42to test new treatments.
-
1:42 - 1:44To evaluate a new drug, for instance,
-
1:44 - 1:47half the patients in a trial might receive
the real pill. -
1:47 - 1:50The other half would get a placebo
that looked the same. -
1:50 - 1:54Since patients wouldn't know whether
they'd received the real thing or a dud, -
1:54 - 1:56the results wouldn't be biased,
-
1:56 - 1:58researchers believed.
-
1:58 - 2:02Then, if the new drug showed a significant
benefit compared to the placebo, -
2:02 - 2:04it was proved effective.
-
2:04 - 2:10Nowadays, it's less common to use placebos
this way because of ethical concerns. -
2:10 - 2:13If it's possible to compare a new drug
against an older version, -
2:13 - 2:15or another existing drug,
-
2:15 - 2:19that's preferable to simply giving
someone no treatment at all, -
2:19 - 2:21especially if they have a serious ailment.
-
2:21 - 2:26In these cases, placebos are often used
as a control to fine-tune the trial -
2:26 - 2:30so that the effects of the new versus
the old or alternative drug -
2:30 - 2:33can be precisely compared.
-
2:33 - 2:38But of course, we know the placebos
exert their own influence, too. -
2:38 - 2:39Thanks to the placebo effect,
-
2:39 - 2:42patients have experienced relief
from a range of ailments, -
2:42 - 2:43including heart problems,
-
2:43 - 2:44asthma,
-
2:44 - 2:46and severe pain,
-
2:46 - 2:50even though all they'd received
was a fake drug or sham surgery. -
2:50 - 2:53We're still trying to understand how.
-
2:53 - 2:55Some believe that instead of being real,
-
2:55 - 2:59the placebo effect is merely confused
with other factors, -
2:59 - 3:03like patients trying to please doctors
by falsely reporting improvements. -
3:03 - 3:04On the other hand,
-
3:04 - 3:08researchers think that if a person
believes a fake treatment is real, -
3:08 - 3:12their expectations of recovery actually
do trigger physiological factors -
3:12 - 3:14that improve their symptoms.
-
3:14 - 3:18Placebos seem to be capable of causing
measurable change in blood pressure, -
3:18 - 3:19heart rate,
-
3:19 - 3:23and the release of pain-reducing
chemicals, like endorphins. -
3:23 - 3:29That explains why subjects in pain studies
often say placebos ease their discomfort. -
3:29 - 3:31Placebos may even reduce levels
of stress hormones, -
3:31 - 3:33like adrenaline,
-
3:33 - 3:36which can slow the harmful effects
of an ailment. -
3:36 - 3:40So shouldn't we celebrate
the placebo's bizarre benefits? -
3:40 - 3:41Not necessarily.
-
3:41 - 3:44If somebody believes a fake treatment
has cured them, -
3:44 - 3:49they may miss out on drugs
or therapies that are proven to work. -
3:49 - 3:52Plus, the positive effects
may fade over time, -
3:52 - 3:54and often do.
-
3:54 - 3:56Placebos also cloud clinical results,
-
3:56 - 3:59making scientists even
more motivated to discover -
3:59 - 4:01how they wield such power over us.
-
4:01 - 4:04Despite everything we know about
the human body, -
4:04 - 4:07there are still some strange
and enduring mysteries, -
4:07 - 4:09like the placebo effect.
-
4:09 - 4:13So what other undiscovered marvels
might we contain? -
4:13 - 4:16It's easy to investigate the world
around us -
4:16 - 4:19and forget that one of its most
fascinating subjects -
4:19 - 4:21lies right behind our eyes.
- Title:
- The power of the placebo effect - Emma Bryce
- Speaker:
- Emma Bryce
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect-emma-bryce
The placebo effect is an unexplained phenomenon wherein drugs, treatments, and therapies that aren’t supposed to have an effect — and are often fake — miraculously make people feel better. What’s going on? Emma Bryce dives into the mystery of placebos’ bizarre benefits.
Lesson by Emma Bryce, animation by Globizco.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:38
Jessica Ruby approved English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect | ||
Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The power of the placebo effect |