You've probably heard of the placebo effect before. The nocebo effect can actually be called the dark state of the placebo. To understand what this situation is, let's first talk about the placebo effect very briefly;
Even though we know how powerful our brains are, it is really difficult to comprehend what it can actually do. If we can deceive our brain, we can turn it into a powerful healing tool. This process is called the placebo effect in psychology . To sum up, our brain believes that our body will recover as a result of a fake treatment, and there are indeed positive results. Ted Kaptchuk, a professor at Harvard University Medical Center, explains the placebo effect as follows; “Placebo is not just thinking positively, it is truly believing that a treatment will work. This belief creates a stronger bond between the brain and the body.”
Of course, the placebo effect does not directly improve. For example, you cannot shrink a brain tumor simply by believing that you will recover. But Placebo works on symptoms modulated by the brain. Pain perception can be given as an example. In other words, thanks to the placebo effect, you can feel much better and help reduce the symptoms. Long story short, the Placebo effect inspires you to be okay.
What is the Nocebo Effect?
The Nocebo effect, which is defined as the dark twin of placebo, has the power to cause the opposite of this suggestion and cause great psychological destruction in the long run. The nocebo effect is when a person experiences negative side effects due to negative thoughts and fears about a treatment or situation. There are also some studies that have been done to prove this situation. For example, in a clinical trial to observe the side effects of a drug, patients were divided into two groups and everyone was told about the side effects that the drug could cause. This is where the Nosebo effect comes into play, and some of the patients in the control group who were not given the drug actually started to experience these side effects. Unfortunately, this is an unpleasant trick played by our brain, which prepares itself for a negative situation and is afraid of it.
As a result of detailed research, it has been revealed that the Nocebo effect is a surprisingly common and at the same time dangerous phenomenon. Although the operation of Nocebo is still not as clearly understood as Placebo, it is possible to explain this phenomenon with some examples that may have happened to you in real life.
Examples of Nocebo Responses We Encounter in Real Life
For example, you realized that the rash on your skin is eczema, and after doing a little research on the internet, let's say you bought an eczema cream from a pharmacy. When you read the package insert of the cream you bought, you saw that it could cause burning as a side effect due to the ingredients in it. Then you applied the cream to the eczema area and really felt a burning sensation. As the cream continued, the burning got worse and you thought something was wrong and decided to go to the doctor. In the end, the doctor suggested you a new eczema cream, which he said had no side effects, and when you took that medicine, you got rid of all the burning sensation. But when you read the prospectus of the eczema cream recommended by the doctor, you realized that it actually has the same active ingredients as the first medicine you took. The only difference is that before you start using these two creams, your brain prepares itself for two different scenarios. You started the first eczema cream with the feeling that you would experience side effects, and it really ended up like this. In the second cream, the doctor advised you that you will not experience any side effects, and it turned out that way. This is what we can call the Nosebo effect or the Nosebo response for short.
Of course, there are more absurd and frightening examples of the Nocebo effect. A tragic event that took place in the 1990s is one of the best examples of how our brain can affect us. A man named Nick Sitzman is trapped in the cold storage at his workplace. And since everyone leaves work early that day, no one hears Nick's cries for help. Of course, as time passes, the man begins to panic more and more. The man probably felt that with each passing second he was closer to freezing to death during this horrific event. Meanwhile, he says goodbye to his family by writing on a piece of paper he found in the warehouse that his body is numb from cold and he knows that these are his last words. The next morning, colleagues who come to work find Nick's dead body inside the cold storage. After his death was investigated, Just as Nick wrote in his note, it is concluded that he died of frostbite and hypothermia. However, there is a factor that allows this event to enter the literature. That is, the cold storage is actually not working and it is at normal room temperature. So Nick Sitzman actually froze to death himself, worrying that he would freeze to death
By looking at these examples, it is very important to inform both healthcare professionals and the public about the Nosebo phenomenon. Because this phenomenon has the power to make negative side effects even worse, many people tend not to start or stop a necessary treatment at all. In other words, it is very important to pay attention to how the negative side effects of the treatment are transferred. Experts suggest that this phenomenon can strengthen the communication between doctor and patient in health care and can be viewed on the positive side. For example, instead of explaining to a child who will be vaccinated such as “This vaccine may hurt a little” or “It is very normal to feel a burning sensation while getting the vaccine”, an explanation such as “Many people who have had this vaccine say it never hurts” may be preferred. In this way, the mind-body connection works much more effectively, as in the placebo effect. In summary, although it is not really understood how the Nocebo effect works, it is certain that the right communication has a very constructive effect on this issue.
If you have experienced an event that can be called the Nosebo effect in your own life, you can share it with us in the comments.
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