The Placebo Effect is the massive dose of dopamine your brain releases when ingesting something you “think” will help you. In some it is the equivalent of a hit of amphetamine or speed.
This is repeatable, quantifiable, and verifiable. A Placebo Effect is a real physiological reaction in your mind.
It is the “active ingredient” of the unregulated $32 Billion nutritional supplement industry. An industry that is forecasted to globally grow to $60 Billion by 2024.
By unregulated I mean an industry that is rife with products that do not contain the ingredients they claim on the label.
Canadian researchers tested 44 different supplements and found that a third of them had none of the labeled ingredient. Several others contained fillers, such as wheat, rice, and soybean.
I put these facts on the table as someone who has bought more than his fair share of different supplements to improve my health. And also as someone who may try a supplement again in the future.
They were interesting experiments, however, I think one has to be honest about the evidence and the data. Not one supplement has ever out-performed the Placebo Effect, if it had any affect at all.
More than anything, I think it gives people a sense of control, albeit a false sense. It provides an option for people to take action, be pro-active in fighting back disease and poor health. The fear of death is a very compelling motivator and it’s not difficult to see why so many reach out for some peace of mind.
I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t taken a supplement of some kind looking for an edge on life.
The good news is that taking that St. John’s Wort or Ginkgo Biloba may be improving how you feel. The bad news is that it’s not the pills that are working. The troubling news is that there is relatively little research done on supplements and some of them may be harming you.
Eat good food. That’s my position now. It’s cheaper than supplements and you’re buying it anyway.