#1089 The Placebo Effect

Today is September 11th. Please take a moment to remember my good friend LT. Chuck Margiotta and so many others we lost on that horrific day in 2001.

I came across an ad for a new drug. It’s a drug to treat symptoms of depression. The ad was touting tremendous benefits for the health of patients in need. Then, I read the fine print and was astounded.

The pill, marketed as _________, is a synthetic version of a brain steroid that regulates stress. A recent study showed the treatment, designed to be taken once daily for two weeks, reduced symptoms by 55% (compared to 40% among a placebo group.)

So, 40 out of 100 people experienced a reduction in depression symptoms because they thought they had a drug that worked?

At the same time, only 15% more had relief, and, by the way, they also thought they had a drug that worked.

It seems to me, the non-medical, uneducated observer, that the actual brain steroid that regulates stress did most of the work.

This drug was just FDA-approved, and I have faith in the FDA, so I won’t say the drug is ineffective. 

What I will say is that our brains are more effective. Harnessing the power of the placebo effect isn’t easy, but it begins with a positive state of mind.

I offer no commentary on depression here. That is a medical condition requiring professional advice. My point is only that if the mind can alleviate symptoms in 40% of patients with depression, what can it do for our bad moods and anxious moments?

As my good friend Dr. Rob always says, “We have everything we need inside of us to do whatever we want. We are not lacking anything, but we may be blocking some things.”

Own Your Sales Gene…