We normally hear of the Placebo Effect used in medical situations. In that context, a placebo is anything that seems to be a "real" medical treatment but isn't. It could be a pill, a shot or some other type of fake treatment.

What all placebos have in common is that they do not contain an active substance meant to affect health, but the patients taking them do not know that. So if these pills have no active ingredients then how do half of the people feel improvements?

The mind is more in control of the body than most people think. These people simply thought they were getting the treatment they needed and the body got on board with the mind

Try and think back to times where you were super worried you were going to catch a cold. Did you? Do you get car sick or is it just the expectation of getting car sick that is actually causing the nausea?

Contrary to popular belief, patients don't just imagine placebo responses. According to a Harvard University blog post by Benika Pinch, numerous brain-imaging studies have confirmed that placebos cause measurable changes in neurobiological signaling pathways.

How can a sugar pill lead to a tangible physical response? The key to understanding the placebo is that it is not just the inert therapy itself, but the expectation surrounding that therapy. The use of placebos is a low-risk way to alleviate human suffering since no actual drugs are needed.

Knowingly taking a sugar pill won't change a thing. It's all about expecting it to work because you don't know it's fake. That's why when patients get them from a physician, they expect them to work and that is when the magic happens.

In a 2012 study, according to science reporter, Brian Resnick, participants were given a sweet drink along with a pill that contained an immune suppressant drug for a few days. Without notice, the drug was swapped with placebo on one of the trial days and their bodies still showed a decreased immune response.

Although this technique has helped a lot of people heal and help prove a lot of mysteries of the body, not everyone believes in placebo.

One argument against the use of placebos is that, if a patient finds out his physician used a placebo, his trust will be eroded and future care will be compromised.

According to Modern Medicine Network, the AMA cautions doctors against the use of placebos, advising the use of placebos in clinical practice should only be used after patients have been both informed and are agreeable to the use of one.

The huge problem with this is that a placebo of which a patient is knowledgeable may fail because the whole point is that they think it is a real drug.

Whether you believe in the placebo effect or not, there is something great to be learned. The mind has an unbelievable amount of control over the body.

So just relax and try not to worry or assume something bad will happen. Have the mindset that you are healthy and that your body can beat anything that challenges it. Then just see if it affects how you feel physically and mentally.