Placebo effect observed in spinal nerves

[I-mon]

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17993-placebo-effect-caught-in-the-act-in-spinal-nerves.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

"The placebo effect is not only real; its ability to deaden pain has been pinpointed to cells in the spinal cord. That raises hopes for new ways of treating conditions such as chronic pain."

[qiphlow]

it's all placebo effect

[Darth Rock&Roll]

except for the narcotics...

[qiphlow]

even that.

[Steve James]

Yeah, I think that one day nobody'll be prescribed drugs; instead, they'll be given something to think about that makes the brain produce the right chemicals to fight the disease.

[qiphlow]

that is certainly possible. i would love to be around when that happens.

[Michael]

It's called TV and is the cure for "reality induced dissatisfaction syndrome".

[I-mon]

Yeah, I think that one day nobody'll be prescribed drugs; instead, they'll be given something to think about that makes the brain produce the right chemicals to fight the disease.

well that's already begun (or rather, it's been around for thousands of years) with understanding of the relaxation response, one of the foundations of all the yoga, taiji - type arts' healing benefits.

[qiphlow]

true, simon. however, i think that most of us in the "west" still have to get over a huge amount of go-to-your-doctor-and-he'll-fix-it-for-you conditioning.

[everything]

Yeah, I think that one day nobody'll be prescribed drugs; instead, they'll be given something to think about that makes the brain produce the right chemicals to fight the disease.

we have posted lots of things on "test no topic" that should get you smiling. and smiling is close to laughing. which is the best med. and gets these good chemical cocktails going. and qi and so on.

[The K Prodigy]

Actually, in ~25-35 years, nanomachines will be doing most of the work to fix your body.

[I-mon]

bring it on, I say.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_aging.html

[Steve James]

I think that people have used many things, including exercises (like tcc) and drugs. All traditional societies use drugs. Where they get those drugs is another matter.
I was talking about "science" got the point where scientists could actuallly explain how the brain could stimulate the production of the right chemicals/drugs that cured or acted as preventative. I don't that tcc or psychic or spiritual healing work by themselves.

[I-mon]

"relaxation response" is the name given to the opposite of the "fight or flight" response, ie it is the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system and therefore the deactivation of the sympathetic nervous system (since each one inhibits the functioning of the other). the other common way of describing the function of the parasympathetic nervous system is with the words "rest and digest".


from wikipedia "The parasympathetic nervous system promotes digestion, synthesizes glycogen, and allows for normal function and behavior."

of course this isn't as sophisticated as what you were describing, but the effects of the relaxation response have been well documented for many years and thus we have the beginnings of the science of using the mind to alter the activity of the nervous system and influence the body chemistry to cure disease and promote good health - especially in the current age when most disease is caused by stress (ie a chronically overactive sympathetic nervous system).

[Steve James]

we have the beginnings of the science of using the mind to alter the activity of the nervous system and influence the body chemistry to cure disease and promote good health

I don't see the argument. We aren't there yet, but I hope we get there. That was my point.