THE "NOCEBO" EFFECT?!

You really have to laugh at the medical establishment and the scientific community. When it comes to foot-dragging on making obvious conclusions (they call it a need for "further study"), these folks are the champs.

Here's an excerpt from a piece on how pessimism can effect healing that "isn't nearly as well studied," according to its author, as the placebo effect, which scientists "already know is real."

Really?!

"Pessimism can override the effectiveness of even powerful treatments. You've heard of the placebo effect, the healing power of positive belief. This is the 'nocebo' effect, the flip side, almost its evil twin. And while the self-fulfilling prophecy of negative thinking isn't nearly as well studied, some scientists say it's time for doctors to start paying a lot more attention to their patients' outlook. 'We all know that many treatments work for some people but not for others,' says neuroscientist Dr. Randy Gollub of Massachusetts General Hospital. Scientists already know the placebo effect is real. They can measure it in studies that compare real drugs to dummy pills, where those given the fakes have noticeable improvements to pain and other symptoms."

HERE'S a link to an FPL piece on the placebo effect.

Come on, Doc. You're catching up.