Most Extreme Placebo effect example?

[krelnius]

Mmmkay, I after looking thru the other 2 placebo effect posts it made me curious as to what the most extreme or impressive documented example of the placebo effect is currently.

Now that I have that out of the way, I want to also include that if your going to post just to argue that the placebo effect is just a myth don't even post. Save it please. I'm asking about the more amazing placebo effects anyone has heard of, not someone telling me it may or may not exist.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Mmmkay, I after looking thru the other 2 placebo effect posts it made me curious as to what the most extreme or impressive documented example of the placebo effect is currently.

Now that I have that out of the way, I want to also include that if your going to post just to argue that the placebo effect is just a myth don't even post. Save it please. I'm asking about the more amazing placebo effects anyone has heard of, not someone telling me it may or may not exist.

So if the effect in question was due to failures in the observational process it still works as amazing? Like that tree that had that magic water coming out of it recently? Or all those great pictures of the flying rods?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

This could be one of the most extreme cases since acupuncture anesthesia hasn't been successful in the vast majority of claimed cases. This particular case was in an Oregon university hospital and very well documented.

Abstract

This case is noteworthy in several ways: 1) Acupuncture was successfully used as the sole means of anesthesia during a surgery for breast reconstruction following cancer, and 2) acupuncture also substantially facilitated pre-operative procedures. The combination of eastern and western medicines substantially reduced patient disability, hospitalization and cost.

 

[jwr4a]

Well, this isn't powerful evidence, but I think it's a funny story.

My dad is a doctor (medical) and works out in a rural practice. At some point (many years ago) someone came to him complaining of insomnia. So, dad prescribes a sleep aid and recommends that the patient get out one pill and leave it next to the bed to take only if he cannot get to sleep without it.

Several weeks later, Dad sees the guy somewhere and asks how he is. The guy says, after the got the presciption filled, he got out a pill that first night and set it on his bed-side table, then turned off the light and laid down. After tossing and turning for some time, he reached over and took the pill. He said he woke up feeling nice and refreshed after a sound sleep and looked over to see the pill still sitting there. He realized he had actually taken a button that came off of his shirt the previous day.

Apparently he threw out the pills and had no trouble sleeping after he realized what had happened

--
jwr

 

[robinson]

Many years ago, I had a friend with a bad injury, who was prescribed powerful pain killers. Long story short, he became suicidal, and threatened to maybe overdose. I eneded up staying with him overnight, because my girlfriend was scared he would do something. So while he was sleeping, I removed all the medication from the capsules, dumped the powder down the Loo, then put the capsules back together.

The next morning he took a bunch of pills and we went to the pool. He was acting all loopy and screwed up (from too much pain killers). But not complaining of any pain. It didn't last too long, so he took some more, then passed out on the couch.

I never told him. But I never forgot how he behaved, based on thinking he had swallowed a bunch of narcotics. That night he was counting the pills, asking me if I had stolen any. (the bottle did feel much lighter, with nothing but empty capsules in it). I denied any theft of course. He then remarked that he must have built up a tolerance, because even if he took a lot of the pills, he only got mild pain relief.

Clearly the brain can make its own pain killers, so I don't doubt he was getting some pain relief from his own brain. But his belief in the pills (which were indeed real the day before), enhanced the effect.

I don't know how extreme an example this is, but it was pretty damn funny at the time.