Welcome to the Phoenix Helix podcast dedicated to maximizing autoimmune health through the paleo

diet and lifestyle. While there is no cure for autoimmune disease, the choices we make every day

can have a powerful impact on how we feel. I'm Eileen Laird, your host from PhoenixHelix.com, and I reduced my

rheumatoid arthritis pain by 95%, which took me from a life of excruciating

pain and disability back to a full and beautiful life. A short disclaimer, I'm neither a doctor

nor a nutritionist and the opinions expressed here are personal. Always consult with your

health care team before making medical decisions. Now let's get on to the show.

Welcome to Episode 135.

Our topic today is the placebo effect.

When you hear that word, you might think sugar pill or fake medicine.

When a new drug is tested in clinical trials, it has to outperform the placebo.

What you may not know is that this is extremely hard to do. Not because the drugs do nothing, but because our brain, under the right circumstances,

for the right people, can do some pretty amazing things. So that's the topic of our podcast today.

What is this mysterious power of the placebo effect?

How does it work? Is this something we can actively tap in our own lives? And what are its limits?

My guest is Eric Vance. He's a science journalist who is interested in the human element of science.

He's written for the New York Times, nature, scientific American,

and National Geographic. And he's also the author of a book, All About this placebo effect,

called Suggestable You. Welcome to the show, Eric.

Thank you very much for having me.

I did so much research for this interview because I find it absolutely fascinating and I'm really excited to dive into this in detail.

But before we do that, let's give a shout out to our podcast sponsor, Shop AIP.

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