Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Placebo effect itself is genetically determined, I think by the COMT gene. It has to do with the "worrier/warrior" trait. People who have 2 copies of the worrier trait have robust placebo effects, and people with 2 copies of the warrior trait do not get a placebo effect. I have one of each, but don't usually get the effect.

Placebo effect is REAL. People who get it have better internal "chemistry sets" for lack of a better description.

Anyway, I have 2 copies of the MTHFR C677T mutation, and folate doesn't help with my RLS at all.

The placebo effect is so real that when new anti-depressants are evaluated in clinical trials, the successful candidates that make it to market often only help 55% of the patients as compared to 45-50% of the patients improved on the placebo. RLS studies also would frequently find that the placebo helped a large number of patients, but nothing as dramatic as the placebo used in the anti-depressant trials. For meds that cause as many problems as the anti-depressants (they can actually make depression worse for the first month and have a ton of horrible side effects), it is hard to understand how they are so hugely popular with doctors when they are barely more effective than a sugar pill.

On the subject of the placebo, and the nocebo...

It is interesting to look in detail at drug trials for the placebo group. The rate of good and bad effects is hard to get your head around as so many people report some effect. As Rustsmith correctly states, the results for some anti-depressants being effective is questionable and sometimes just corruption.

The placebo effect has been demonstrated on rats using day length simulation, and one of the theories is that it can relate to conservation of energy by the body as a survival mechanism. If the animal/person feels more secure and safe, the body can divert more energy to healing. This can be short term and the body returns to the default mode.

There is also the psychological aspect where perception can influence brain function. There was a great experiment relating to pain, where people were given a small pill, big pill, small injection and large injection placebos, with the results as you would expect with an increase from small pill to large injection on pain relief.

Many doctors have stated that if they could prescribe or give a placebo to many patients, it would help them.

Hello,
Just wondering how your new mediation is going?