The study was done at the Cognitive Neurophysiology Research Group in Stockholm, Sweden.
The researchers divided a group of participants into three groups; one group received narcotic painkillers, one group received a placebo and the last group received nothing at all. All three groups were then subjected to painfully hot and non-painful warm sensations. Their reactions were measured by an imaging test that maps brain activity.
Both the painkiller and placebo groups experienced pain relief. Both groups also showed an increase in activity in the part of the brain that controls pain.
Lead researcher Dr. Martin Ingvar says that since the painkillers and the placebo both activate the pain control centers in the brain, "this sort of placebo effect is not something fishy."
Commentary: We would agree. Many in the medical community, however, feel that using placebos is unethical since the patient is not fully informed about what they are taking. But, since upwards of 100,000 people die every year from drug reactions to properly prescribed and utilized drugs, we feel that their ethical concerns would be better directed towards patient safety. After all, no one ever died from taking a placebo.
