Placebo Effect Endorphins It's long been known the mere suggestion of relief can prompt a healing or pain relieving response in some patients. Now, researchers have uncovered the first direct evidence that natural painkillers in the brain play a role in this so-called placebo effect. Scientists at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor studied 14 healthy people and found endorphin production increased in pain processing areas of the brain from the mention and application of a pain relieving medicine. The medicine was actually a placebo, and participants were being given a painful injection. Researchers also found participants had an increase in pain tolerance each time the dummy medicine was given. And scientists found significantly higher pain reports when the injections were given without a placebo pain reliever. "This deals another serious blow to the idea that the placebo effect is a purely psychological, not physical, phenomenon," says Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., lead author of the study. All 14 volunteers showed increased activity of their endorphin system after they were told about the "medicine." The most pronounced differences were observed in brain areas that process pain. "We were able to see that the endorphin system was activated in pain-related areas of the brain, and that activity increased when someone was told they were receiving a medicine that might ease their pain. They then reported feeling less pain. The mind-body connection is quite clear," researchers say. This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/ Reported August 26, 2005 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.