Hope and Faith Change the Brain

by Dr David R. Hamilton Ph.D

Source: http://www.drdavidhamilton.com/

You may have heard of the recent reports that much of the reason that antidepressant drugs work is the placebo effect.

The research was published a few months ago. It was a meta-analysis (summary of a number of scientific studies) of Fluoxetine (Prozac), Venlafaxine (Effexor), Nefazodone (Serzone), and Paroxetine (Seroxat), covering 35 clinical trials involving 5,133 patients. The placebo effect was shown to account for 81% of the effect of the drugs. That means that 81% of the effectiveness of the drugs was placebo.

Let me clear something up regarding this. This doesn't mean that the drugs don't work. It really means that the placebo effect is very high for antidepressants. That is, the power of the mind is considerable!

The drugs probably do work, although we don't absolutely know for sure, but when we believe in a drug, whatever the drug is for, our own natural healing capacity kicks in.

Recent MRI brain scans taken of people on Prozac, for instance, showed changes in the brain when a patient took Prozac but showed the same changes when they received a placebo and just thought it was Prozac. And similarly, when Parkinson's' patients were given an anti-Parkinson's drug, their tremors reduced and dopamine was released in the brain. However when patients were given a placebo but thought it was the drug, the tremors also reduced and the brain still released dopamine in the same places.

When we take a tablet every day, we receive a little tablet of hope and faith. We hope that it works and we have faith that it does. What new scientific research is now revealing is that it is this hope and faith that heals us. We have the power to heal! We always have. We just never realised it!

Every day, when we take our medication, hope and faith produce real chemical changes in our brain and even microscopic changes in the structure of the brain. Hope and Faith change the brain...!!!

These lead to changes throughout the body at the cellular level. Our own awareness of what is wrong with us, incredibly, directs where the cellular changes occur. That is how amazing and powerful we are.

So if you are sick.....Intend to get better. Determination, coupled with hope and faith can move mountains. It always has!

Copyright © 2008 by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

My comment: Determination, willpower, love hope and faith did it for me :)