What if sugar pills could relieve pain, and scary words from your doctor could actually make you sicker? In this episode of The PTCH Podcast, Dr. Jason Young, DC, and Dr. Kathy Lynch, DPT, dive deep into the fascinating world of the placebo and nocebo effects.

We’ll bust common myths about placebo (no, it doesn’t mean a treatment is fake or useless), share jaw-dropping studies like sham knee surgeries and open-label placebo pills, and explain how the brain releases real chemicals like endorphins and dopamine just from expectation.

We’ll also unpack the dark side: the nocebo effect—when negative expectations or harmful language cause pain, side effects, or even nationwide health scares (like what happened with statins in the UK). Most importantly, we’ll show how doctors, therapists, and patients can use this knowledge to boost healing while avoiding harm.

🎲 Game segment: Treatment or Trick? Jason quizzes Kathy on modern and historical therapies—some powered by placebo, some truly effective. Can she spot the difference?

Whether you’re a healthcare nerd or just curious why your grandma’s copper bracelet “works,” this episode will change the way you think about medicine, mindset, and the power of belief.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Cold Open: Saline as Morphine in WWII
3:00 – What is Placebo (and what it isn’t)
8:00 – Weird but true placebo studies
15:00 – The ethics of placebo in healthcare
22:00 – When placebos cause harm
28:00 – Nocebo: the dark side of expectations
36:00 – How to avoid nocebo in healthcare
42:00 – Game: Treatment or Trick?
55:00 – Final takeaways

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