Will this medication work for me?

Evidence has shown that a medication is more likely to work for you if you believe it will. This is referred to as the placebo effect. In medicine, the idea and understanding of the placebo effect is pivotal to knowing whether a medication is effective or not.

In scientific studies, a placebo is when a 'sugar' pill is given in the place of the real medication. The studies then follow the placebo, or sugar pill, in comparison with the real medication,  to see the effectiveness of a medication. This may sound confusing, but, the basis is that for a new medication to "pass the test" it just has to do a bit better than the good ole sugar pill study. All that to say, when a person believes that they are being given a medication that will help them, there is evidence that it does and will. Placebo effect just refers to the improvement we may see in a group study, when in reality they are just taking a sugar pill. Scientists use placebos to measure new medicine, because if a new medication stands the 'sugar pill' test then maybe the new medication is effective. To pass the "sugar pill test" is a BIG deal!

When I first started working in adult healthcare in the US, I remember the physician I worked with always encouraged me to prescribe exactly the medications that patients asked for. All things being equal, when a person believes a certain drug will work for them, it usually does!. This was especially true when a person needed medicine for depression. When it comes to these type of meds, the evidence shows that usually the medicine that we believe will work best for us, is the one that does.  I am fascinated by this. It is the power of the mind over the body.

I guess in medicine, like in life, it all comes down to what we believe in. Faith is something that is difficult to accept for many people, as there is nothing 'tangible' about faith. And yet, there is so much about our very existence that cries out a need, and a fulfillment that can only be found in faith. I love that healthcare substantiates this. Once again, what we find true for our spirit is often true for our body as well.

Whenever the struggle of faith is discussed, I always think of the words in Hebrews, that "faith is being SURE of what we hope for, and CERTAIN of what we do not see" . The question is .. where will you put your faith? Will it be in the medicine you choose.. or the God you choose to follow? Wherever we put our faith.. our heart and body will surely follow.