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Dental Injections | You can Be Your Own Placebo | The Power of Confidence

By Viola Woolcott

Most of us know that our own beliefs can affect our personal physical and healing responses. If we believed that a sugar pill was a powerful pain killer, the pain may just disappear. When people have the unshakable belief as well as the confidence in painkillers, they take them and they may even feel an instant relief, even though they KNOW they can heal themselves.

We all have had the belief and the confidence in pain killers and on taking them, we find relief and confidence instantly, even though we know that they take about 30 minutes to work. We, ourselves can act as a ‘placebo’ - or rather our perception in how we place our confidence in something.

Two researchers (named Steven Gryll and Martin Kathan), way back in 1978 studied the placebo influence on the distress pain caused during dental injections. The studies were carried out on two groups of patients who were given identical placebo pills before the injection and they were also given different messages about the effectiveness of the placebo pill.

The first group of patients was told that it was a new drug the dentist himself found very effective and fast working in diminishing the tension, sensitivity to pain as well as the anxiety that was experienced. The group was also told that the ‘drug’ had no side effects and that the effectivity was almost instantly.

The second group of patients was told that although the ‘drug’ was brand new on the market, helped reduce tension, pain sensitivity as well as anxiety that was experienced that the dentist himself found it not to be very effective. He also announced that the ‘drug’ was harmless and if it should work, it would almost work at once.

Of course, as predicted, the placebo pill was much more effective with the first group of patients. It is very obvious to me that the message here has been one of confidence rather than doubt in the effectiveness of the pill - not to forget, the pill is just sugar after all.

The key to it all is “Confidence” in our own healing ability. You will become your own placebo if you are self confident and believe in yourself.

Filed under: Health and Diet, Mind | Body | Spirit on November 28th, 2007