Special Effects: Placebos Spark Endorphin Release

Pain researchers have long been fascinated by the apparent ability of placebos to relieve pain without any chemical influence.  Now they understand.  Placebos do relieve pain, but they don’t do it without the help of chemicals. People who expect pain relief get it because their brains release endorphins- our bodies natural pain relievers. The Scientific American reports on research conducted at the University of Michigan that used PET scans to measure the activity of mu-opoid receptors, which transmit pain signals from cell to cell. The test subjected 14 males to a slightly painful procedure of having saltwater injected into their jaws, while researchers recorded the intensity of their
pain every 15 seconds. Some of the subjects were given pain killers and some were not. The Scientific American reports that all of the participants who were told to expect medicine but got a
placebo instead showed an increase in the activity of their endorphin
system. It also showed that the amount of activity correlated to the amount of pain relief that the subjects were told to expect. Impressive as it sounds, Geezer recommends that readers do not try this at home.  Read more.