an executive coach
for physicians at
TheHappyMD.com
a placebo effect?
the presence of a living human, or can we
program it into a mobile-phone app? If so,
what will happen to healthcare?
subjects with documented medical
conditions a sugar pill and they get better;
they heal themselves despite the fact they
have not swallowed anything known to have
an effect on their disease.
about the encounter with the researcher
that triggers the patient's natural healing
mechanisms? What did the doctor do or say,
or what did the patient hear and feel? And
how can we learn to use this ability to inspire
patients to heal themselves consciously?
on what causes the placebo effect. The
Wikipedia page for Placebo Effect is the
largest I have ever seen.
out the advice of a healthcare provider
who is emotionally present, empathetic,
confident and optimistic, and they are given
advice and treatment they understand and
the assurance of follow up if things go awry
it triggers a cascade of physiologic effects
modern science is incapable of measuring at
this time. The result is healing.
studies shows or it can augment whatever
medication or procedure you might also
prescribe. I believe it is the human qualities
of attention and caring that trigger the
placebo effect. These exist parallel to the
provider's ability to diagnose and select an
appropriate medical treatment.
effect. You can fail to make eye contact, write
out a prescription, hand it to the patient and
walk out the door, thus having no placebo
effect. Your skills as a placebologist rely
on the ability to create the expectation of
healing in the patient. This is most definitely
part of the art of medicine.