Pondering the Placebo, Olympic Athletes, Mind-Body and Our Innate Ability to Heal

Why don’t embrace our natural and innate ability to heal? Why don’t we accept perfect health? Why don’t we believe this above all else? Even more importantly why do we believe the words of a stranger who speaks in broad generalizations, who hasn’t taken the time to understand our lives, our strengths and our weaknesses. A stranger who based on a designation, has the sinister power to make a diagnosis and apply a prognosis (based on generalized data), and thereby set in motion a trajectory with potentially devastating outcomes. Then it is reinforced at every turn by people who, unwittingly offer their opinions, sympathies and judgments.

We allow ourselves to be programmed for disease.

All this in the face of a solid understanding of things like the placebo effect and now the science of Mind-Body Medicine.

Is it the very essence of the placebo effect that is behind concepts like “home ice advantage”, beginner’s luck, spontaneous remission, good luck charms and other ‘unexplained phenomenon’?

In my first year of naturopathic medical school, I took exception to a lecture given by one of our brilliant elders. The class was on medical philosophy and the topic was the placebo effect. Naturally I had heard of the placebo effect, but as a communications professional had never taken pause to consider it. In doing so as a new medical student, it dawned on me – if that power – the power of the placebo effect – exists. Then why, rather than use it as a form of healing trickery, aren’t we harnessing it as our most profound source of healing?

Now with the understanding of biofeedback, psychoneuroimmunology and Mind-Body Medicine – connected or not to traditional healing practices around the world that ALL connect the body-mind for recovery and health. Why don’t we naturally program ourselves for health? It’s tradition, and it’s in the evidence base.

In watching a program on the recovery of Olympic athletes from catastrophic injuries – injuries that even the most optimistic specialists declared as career-ending – the common denominator in each of these individuals went beyond ‘hard work’ and good rehabilitation programs. These individuals simply believed, with every cell in their bodies, that they would recover. There was no other option.

Now that goes beyond the placebo effect but it underscores the profound power, the brilliance, the magic that YOU possess to facilitate healing. OR conversely dis-ease.

At 52 years of age with decades of MS under my belt. I finally really get this. I have seen it around me in my patients and friends – I know this power. And now science knows this power too.  To find this power we need to believe, and to step out of our own way and let it happen. Wow. That sounds so simple. So what’s stopping us?

Why don’t we embrace our natural and innate ability to heal?