Researchers, stated that, when patients suffering from Parkinson, were given an injection, described as a competent treatment, which costs $1,500 a dose, their locomotion functions showed much more improvement than when given the treatment which costs $100
This has exceeded expectations, after measuring the existence of motor development, even though, both injections were packed only with saline, without any active ingredients. An occurrence as such, took the effects of the placebo to a whole new level of understanding, noted the research in the Neurology journal.
There has been an increased number of researches, which have studied the potential of the placebo, in which, even though patients have been given sugar pills or other type of fake treatment, they showed improvement in their condition. Studies have shown, that placebo had positive impact on pain, osteoarthritis or depression.
When placebos turns out to have powerful effects, real medication usually fails to top them.
Precedent studies have demonstrated that the answer might be the fact that the sick person’s high expectations may lead to progress in Parkinson, which is a disease that cause the dopamine levels in the brain to collapse.
When thinking that a new treatment might work, the induced belief, causes the brainto releases more dopamine and is expecting to see the results, explained Alberto Espay, study leader and neurologist at the University of Cincinnati.
The experiment used twelve Parkinson patients, who were told that they would receive two types of identical effectiveness of the same medication, and they would receive the second shot after the first wore off. One was priced at $100 and the other one at $1,500, but in reality both shots contained only saline substance.
When receiving the drug that costs $1,500, the motor function of the patients enhanced two times, compared to the cheaper placebo.
When the participants were questioned, they admitted that had higher expectations from the more expensive drug and felt better recovery than from the cheap one. Four of the individuals, said they had no expectations on getting better, and according to researchers, those patients showed the least amount of change.
Presently, the credibility of the study has been undermined, since it has tested only 12 patients, but past research proving the benefic placebo effects in Parkinson, might increase its credibility.
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