The Placebo Effect: David Loftus

Is there any truth to that New-Agey line about “the mind-body connection”? Clearly, the mind can make the body worse, physically: Depression, anger, or prolonged mourning have all been shown to have detrimental effects on the human body over time. Muscle tension, retention of lactic acid, urea, and other waste products, and a hundred other symptoms and effects of stress and unhappiness probably increase wear and tear on the old carcass.

So it stands to reason that optimism, hope, and faith probably contribute in the opposite direction, to health and longevity, though science and medicine have been less swift to assess how things go right than how they fail. Studies suggest that people of faith tend to live longer than the average, for instance; and though there are undoubtedly a range of variables that might play a role apart from faith itself -- potential correlations with better genes, better diet, broader family support systems, and ready spiritual counseling among them -- as a lifelong atheist I wouldn’t discount religious faith as a healthy lifestyle option (at least, to those for whom it has been a choice).

That being said, if what I might personally regard as self-delusion has the potential to create a healthier mind and body through religious faith, why not also within the context of so-called alternative medicine? In fact, why limit the discussion to alternative medicine? Any mainstream physician worth his or her shingle would (or should) admit that many -- not all, by any means, but many -- patients would improve even if they didn’t run to their doctor and insurance carrier; and that much of their improvement may be credited to their own self-care and attitude as to scientifically sophisticated medical intervention. There have been studies that suggest this, as well (not to mention the darker side: the studies that attribute tens of thousands of patient deaths to medical error and neglect). Though I am a knee-jerk skeptic, I know that much may be gained when you “pretend to believe.” If it works, then it’s cool, yes? Who am I -- who is anyone -- to say “hey, you’re not healing in the RIGHT way”?

So . . . if we manage to get a health-reform bill with a public option passed over the stupid, mendacious objections of conservative politicians and talk-show hosts and the irrational fears of their millions of constituents, then the next big debate will be: Which medical procedures will be covered? Why not all of them? The surprise may turn out to be that we’ll ultimately save money, because fans of alternative medicine will not be forced to use expensive traditional methods of care, they’ll heal themselves and/or learn what doesn’t work without having to fight for the chance to find out, and the vaunted “free market” that conservatives pretend to love but so often undermine will prevail.