I've experienced times after having a procedure at a hospital or being in an accident where the pain I experienced made me want to dive head first into a vat of morphine, but now drugs may not be necessary for pain relief.
According to an article published in the science journal, Psychological Science, there may be a way to get freedom from pain without drugs. The article states that placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. It also says that distraction can cause relief from pain by keeping the brain busy.
I wonder if this means hospitals may start offering patients the chance to watch their favorite movie during colonoscopies. I'm sure they'd have to provide "Fantastic Voyage" as one of their selections.
During the study, 33 participants came in for three separate sessions. During the first session, researchers applied heat to the skin of the participants with a little metal plate and calibrated each individual's pain perception.
I imagine this also tested how well the researchers liked the participant. If a participant received a third-degree burn during this part of the experiment it might indicate a personality conflict with the researcher.
In the second session, some participants applied ordinary skin cream and were told it was a powerful but safe analgesic. Others put on cream they were told was regular hand cream.
I think if the researchers wanted to have a little fun they could've waited until all the participants had cream on their hands and told them it was a substance from the reproductive system of a blue whale. The participant's reactions might have been interesting to watch.
To me, the next thing the researchers did was a bit odd. They took the placebo-only participants and had them stare at a cross on the screen and rate the pain of numerous applications of heat. They were given the same level but told they were being given different levels.
I wonder if this research was conducted at a remote monastery on an island in the Pacific.
After all this, the participants then performed a tough memory task, distraction and placebo groups simultaneously. During the third session, those who used the plain cream got the "analgesic" and vice versa.
The results of the study showed with either memory task or placebo alone participants felt less pain as they just stared at the cross.
To me, there must be a religious influence in this somewhere. I wonder what would've happened if the participants had stared at a picture of ice cold beer or their favorite movie star while receiving applications of heat. I guess we'll never know.
Here is a link to the story.
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