Placebo: Mystery or Miracle?

I recently read When the Music Stopped by Bob Cafaro, a cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1999 he was incapacitated with a severe case of Multiple Sclerosis (MS.) When the Music Stopped is his account of how he defeated the disease.

One of the many subjects Bob investigated and applied is the placebo effect.  Most of us are aware of the placebo effect, but personally, I never thought about it beyond "nobody really understands why the placebo effect takes place."

The most common placebo effect is when a neutral substance, say cornstarch for example, is given to a patient who is told it is a medication for an ailment. Upon taking the placebo, and believing it is a genuine cure, the patient then recovers from the illness, as if a typical FDA approved treatment drug had been taken. 

In the clinical trials for one of the drugs which his doctor prescribed, Bob discovered that in one category of the trials, the number of people who benefited from the placebo was basically the same number as those who had actually received the drug!  (26 out of 87 benefited from the placebo, 26 out of 85 benefited from the drug!)  

Because he was so intent on curing himself, and avoiding prescription drug adverse effects, he decided to take a deeper look into the placebo effect in general.

Bob also discovered many researchers theorize when a patient is given a neutral substance, and told it is a cure for their ailment, once they take the placebo, and believe that it is the cure, their own body will synthesize the substances it needs in order to treat the condition.

So while that may very well be the case, the patient must still eliminate the lifestyle behaviors which may have caused the ailment in the first place.  So we just can't take a placebo, believe it is our cure, and expect the positive results, without also adopting a healthy lifestyle.  Of course, the same applies to prescription medications, they only help if they are taken as part of a healthy lifestyle.

There has been some astonishing research done on the subject of placebos, one of the more well known studies is that of Ted Kaptchuck, as documented in Harvard Magazine, in February of 2013. 

Ted Kaptchuk in his home office in Cambridge

Photograph by Jim Harrison / From Harvard Magazine

In the article, Ted Kaptchuck says "We were struggling to increase drug effects, while no one was trying to increase the placebo effect.”

One of the first surprising things that Ted Kaptchuck discovered is that the degree of effectiveness of the placebo administered is related to the perceived level of care they receive from the people providing the therapy. "The results were not surprising: the patients who experienced the greatest relief were those who received the most care."  

Then Kaptchuck's researchers were shocked by their next discovery: "Even patients who knew they were taking placebos described real improvement, reporting twice as much symptom relief as the no-treatment group."

Last year I sustained a serious spine injury: two herniated discs.  I never experienced such pain before in my entire life.  It was daily, it was unrelenting, debilitating, and inhuman.  But fortunately a year ago, November 16, I received successful spine surgery.  It has taken most of this year to recover. I still have other issues, one is peripheral neuropathy in my feet, which is also painful.  

So I decided to give the lifestyle / placebo approach a try.  Two days ago I limited my food intake by not consuming any carbohydrates or fats.  Just green salads and soup.  Then before I went to sleep, I put on two copper bracelets.  I said to myself "These bracelets are going to stimulate my body to treat my conditions, they are going to help me get to sleep fast, and sleep soundly, and when I awaken, I am going to feel great, because I am healing in every respect."

Well yesterday I woke up pain free, which has been a rarity for the last few years.  I had a great day, kept active, was careful about what I ate, and I tried the bracelet technique again last night.  Same results, I have far less pain than I would have on an average day.

Reverse Placebo Effect

The nocebo effect is when a person experiences harmful, unpleasant, or undesirable side effects after a placebo medical treatment. These effects are not chemically generated and are only due to a person's negative belief or expectation that the fake treatment or drug will produce bad side effects.

So in a way, even the nocebo effect illustrates the power of our thoughts and beliefs!

I don't like prescription drugs because of the side effects I suffer when I take them. 

Discussion of the placebo effect brings up terms like "charlatan" and "fraud."  But I question the accepted belief that I must take a refined substance in order to "correct" my body, even though the refined substance makes me feel terrible. I just can't accept the concept of taking something that makes me feel sick in order to improve my health!

There's a disclaimer paragraph in the materials you receive with prescription drugs which reads "Your doctor has determined that the benefits of this drug outweigh the adverse affects." But I've never yet had a doctor explain the adverse effects, then ask me if I think they are worth it!

So I like the concept of placebos, and if they work even if you know it's a placebo, well that's great, isn't it? I think placebos offer a great number of people relief from their ailments, without the uncomfortable and dangerous adverse effects of prescription drugs, although I am definitely not advocating that anyone stop taking their prescription medications without their doctor's approval.

I don't want to make a totally one-sided presentation, so I would love to hear your opinion on this.  Do you have any experience with placebos? If you could, would you offer a placebo alternative to a loved one who is suffering?

E-Mail Me Directly

I will be posting more as I learn more!

Making 2017 Your Best Year Ever: Major Marketing Communications Considerations

You have more opportunities to promote your business than ever before!  

I want to help you to make great decisions, with confidence, whenever you face a question on any aspects of marketing communications.  And I want to make sure that you are aware of all of the various opportunities available to you.

When you work with me, you receive the benefit of real world expertise gained by over forty years of working in advertising and marketing.

Website * Social Media * Paid Advertising * Publicity * Brand Strength

The purposes of all five of these activities are to provide you with a competitive advantage, and bring you new customers! 

Your Website

The very first contact most people will have with your company is likely your website.  Is yours current, clearly explaining all of your present offerings?  Is it easy to use, easy for prospects to find the information they need in a minimum amount of time?  Does it encourage readers to take the next step and contact you?  How does it compare with your competitors?  How does it rank in search engines?

Social Media is intended to provide an interactive, ongoing dialog, different from other forms of communications.  Are your postings current?  Do they encourage dialog? Do they make readers comfortable with your company, so when they need what you offer, they'll contact you first?

Paid advertising continues to be an important part of most companies' marketing communications.  Are your ads current?  Do they reach the highest percentage of prospects, with a message that encourages those prospects to take action?

You probably have substantial publicity opportunities.  Local, regional, and sometimes even national media outlets want to publish information on companies like yours, but the message has to be informative, not direct selling.  Contrary to what many other people say, I do not believe that publicity is "free advertising."  Publicity will work well for you if you have a story to tell that will benefit the audiences reached by various media outlets.

How strong is your brand?  We all know companies with strong brands like convenience store chains, automotive manufacturers, and fast food franchises.  Even many regional plumbing companies have established very strong brands.  The question is, how is your company using branding techniques to build awareness and confidence in the minds of your prospects?

Each of these five areas are extremely important to you.  Neglecting just one can create a "weak link" effect, pulling down the rest.

I've developed a two-page Marketing Communications Planner which I'll e-mail to you for free, that will help you organize and record your thoughts, so you can focus your attention where it's needed most, and make better informed decisions.   Click here to order your free copy. 

Although these are the core issues of marketing communications, there are many more important issues that will require your attention in the coming months, such as gender and diversity issues.  

I look forward to working with you, all you have to do is take the first step: Call me at 856-942-4434, or e-mail me at steve@thomcomm.com and let's set a time to speak briefly, so we can decide the best way to proceed!

Steve Thompson

 Thompson Communications

steve@thomcomm.com

856-942-4434

Successful Spine Surgery a Year Ago Today!

November 16, 2016

A year ago today I had my successful spine surgery.  I had suffered with inhuman pain from around the beginning of April until November 16, 2015.

I cried when I came out from my anesthesia several hours later, because I was finally pain free.

Fortunately my surgery took place early in the day.  I remember suffering extreme pain that morning even as we drove to the hospital.

The nurse who got me prepared asked "What is your pain level?" I said "Seven." She said "Seven, I'd hate to see ten!"

Well I saw "ten" many times.  Once I was in so much pain I couldn't turn to my bedside table to reach my pain medications, and I had to be lifted by EMTs out of my bed to be taken to a hospital.

Another time the pain was so severe my co-workers called for an ambulance so I could be taken to a hospital right from work.

There were lots of other stories, but I'll spare you.

Fortunately we were able to take a terrific trip to the Philippines from the first week in January, until the first week in March, where I was able to make substantial recovery progress.

Dr. Joseph Lee,
Reconstructive Orthopedics

Not in this particular order, but I am grateful to Dr. Joseph Lee, Reconstructive Orthopedics, for his successful, skillful work, and his very humane treatment of me from the first day I met him, right up until about two weeks ago when he told me I was basically 100% healed.

Cookie Changco Thompson,
at Romulo's Cafe, Manila

To Cookie Chango Thompson, for always being at my side.

With Tita Inday, Manila

To Tita Inday for her prayers, which I know helped me through my surgery.

El Nido, island of Palawan, Philippines

To Mario Changco for his hospitality, and arranging for the great trip to El Nido, island of Palawan, Philippines, which allowed me in a way to harken back to my younger days in Laguna Beach, CA

Changco Home,
General Santos City,
Philippines

To Jim Changco, and his family for their generous hospitality in GenSan. (And educating me as to the fine details of the Philippine presidential election.)

Hidden Valley Springs,
Laguna, Philippines
(The Soda Pool is my favorite!)

To the Roxas family for their generous hospitality, for both staying at their home in Manila, and arranging for our wonderful stay at Hidden Valley Springs, and providing us with transportation to and from the airport, and to and from Hidden Valley Springs. (Complete with cashews!)

So thanks everyone, for being so kind to me!

The last time I met with Dr. Lee a few weeks ago, I asked him if I should slow down, he said "No, I don't advise men to slow down until they reach age 70!"

So I'm looking forward to many, many more highly productive years, thanks to all of the great people who surround me!

Steve Thompson
November 16, 2016

Why We Fear

Wednesday November 9, 2016

Coincidently my wife and I just visited the site of the Woodstock Festival last week, on Friday November 4th.  Some people, including me, consider it hallowed ground.

I know lots of people don't understand, or think it's silly, but let me explain.

In August of 1969 a "youth movement" was well underway, which began when the Beatles arrived in 1964.  Young people were actively rebelling, and even though I was only fifteen at the time, I was one of them.

Two years earlier, in 1967, the Beatles released "All You Need is Love" which could have been the anthem for that "youth movement."

In November of 1968, "Law and Order" candidate Richard Nixon won the presidential election, by playing on the fear of older people who didn't understand the "youth movement."

"Richard Nixon ran on a campaign that promised to restore law and order to the nation's cities and provide new leadership in the Vietnam War. A year later, he would popularize the term "silent majority" to describe those he viewed as being his target voters. Nixon won the popular vote by a narrow margin of 0.7 percentage point, but won easily in the Electoral College, 301-191."

If you think last night's map was red, check this out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1968

It was well known that Nixon was in favor of "escalation," sending more troops to Vietnam to get it over with once and for all.

More and more people across the country were protesting the war, while believing that "All You Need is Love."

The Woodstock Festival was three days that showed that over 400,000 young people could show up and enjoy a rock festival, without major incident.  That's why Max Yasgur's speech meant so much to us.

(It was later revealed that the NY Governor at the time, Nelson Rockefeller, wanted to send in the National Guard, but the promotors convinced him that everything would be OK.)

Well only nine months after Woodstock four Kent State students protesting the war would be killed by Ohio National Guardsmen.

In my opinion, that was pretty much the end of the "youth movement."  

But Kent State was also the beginning of the national shift in opinion against the Vietnam war.

As more and more people, young and old, turned against the war, Nixon faced re-election in 1972.  He began to realize that he couldn't win a second term without the votes of people who were against the war, so what do you know, then foreign policy advisor Henry Kissinger announced "We believe that peace is at hand" on October 26, 1972.  Arguably, that was Nixon's "October surprise."

By 1975, details of the break-in of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate hotel by Republican operatives began to leak to the press, so Nixon formed another group of operatives "Plumbers" who were assigned to stop the leaks.

Finally, unable to stop the leaks, and despite claiming that if he as president did something, it wasn't illegal, he was forced to resign in August of 1974.

The Vietnam war finally did end with the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975, under president Gerald Ford, a Republican. North Vietnam, a communist country, then annexed South Vietnam.

In the end, 58,315 Americans lost their lives, and 303,644 were injured. People from South Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand and The Philippines were also killed and injured.

People who are my age lived through all of this, we've seen it with our own eyes.  

We know that American college students can be murdered exercising their constitutional right to assemble and protest.  

We know that a president can deliberately deceive the population "We believe peace is at hand" in order to win an election, playing politics with American lives.  

We know that a president can act with impunity insisting that "When the President does it, that means that it's not illegal."

That's what we are afraid of today.

Steve Thompson

(This is my opinion.  I've been as accurate as possible with the facts, events, dates, etc.  You have the right to disagree with me, but don't waste your time arguing with me.)