Just Tell Yourself You Took The Medicine

The latest from "Family Medicine" says that you might be just as well off not taking the medication, or thinking happy thoughts while you are taking it.  In the latest edition the study suggests that if you think your cure will work, IT WILL!

A cure for the common cold could be as simple as believing your medication will work.  A new study shows people who believe their cold remedy will relieve their ailment recover from their cold days sooner.  In fact, researchers found this to be the case even when participants were given an inactive placebo pill in place of real treatment.  For the study, researchers administered either the herbal cold remedy Echinacea or a placebo to cold sufferers.  They found that the participants who believed in the healing powers of Echinacea felt better faster than those who didn't.  Among the believers, participants who were given the placebo recovered from their cold a full two-point-five days sooner than participants who weren't given any pills.  Participants who were given the real thing felt better about a day and a half sooner.  The study appears in the journal "Annals of Family Medicine."