As the economy suffers and my patients follow suit, I find myself talking more and more about the role of positive thinking in helping my patients feel better. And I find that I am encountering a lot of skepticism and resistance. The resistance comes down to a general belief that the positive thinking doesn't work; that it's not scientific.
Not scientific? Ever hear of the placebo effect? This phenomenon is so widely accepted that it is taken for granted. Every new treatment has to prove itself better than placebo to be approved. But what is the placebo effect if not positive thinking? The idea behind placebo controlled trials is to determine whether a medication works because it is making some physiological change or just because the patient (and doctor) think it's going to work. The placebo effect can be as high as 30 or 40% if not higher. That's an effect based on positive thinking.
In these difficult times, maybe we should pay attention to what science has long accepted. Believing that positive change is possible can make all the difference.
