Chiropractic and Placebos
Chiropractic works even if you don’t believe in chiropractic.
Some dismiss the results that chiropractic patients receive as merely the placebo effect. These cynics virtually ignore the mind/body connection that most forward-thinking health care experts are finally recognizing.
A placebo (from the Latin I will please) is often a sugar pill or some type of sham treatment that invokes the beliefs of the patient, and in the case of double blind studies, the beliefs of the doctor. Some studies show that placebos can be 30% to 40% effective.
Should the consistent results that today’s chiropractic care produces be simply chalked up to the placebo effect and a caring personality?
Hardly. While its always helpful if the patient believes the care theyre receiving will help them, chiropractic care regularly helps newborns, infants and even horses and house pets for which the power of the believing mind is clearly not a factor.