November 22, 2009
UTNE READER

Your Brain Is a Pharmacy

(Page 2 of 2)

September-October 2008
by Julie Hanus 
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As soon as participants anticipate relief, their temple region lights up with activity, and then the commotion shifts inward to the midbrain, which is responsible for releasing pain-killing opioids. In every case, the heating-pad pain was gone after the Vaseline was administered. It’s a mind game, but the results are real. As Wager explains it, all the drugs in the world are already in our brains; that’s why we have receptors that are able to make sense of synthetic or artificially introduced versions. The real trick is figuring out how to prompt our brains to release the right stuff at the right time.

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Unlocking those secrets could revolutionize how we treat physical pain, mental disorders, and other medical complications. Another scientist who appeared on Radiolab is experimenting with intermittent substitution of placebos in a morphine regimen. So far, he’s been able to administer 50 percent less morphine, with no reduction in pain relief—halving his patients’ exposure to the addictive, side effect–laden pharmaceutical.

Placebo research is also destined to force a reevaluation of faith healers, shamans, religious rituals, positive thoughts, and the concept of belief in our healing process. Our brains are off and running even before we’re consciously aware of the activity, according to ScienceNOW Daily News (April 14, 2008). Ten seconds before you think you’ve made a choice, your brain already has the answer. If someone truly, deeply trusts that holy water has the power to heal her, and if that belief triggers the release of healing or pain-relieving chemicals, would it be any less of a miracle?

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