Summary
In recent years the term 'placebo effect' - the beneficial effects on health of positive expectations about a drug or some other treatment - has become familiar. It has also been shown to be a powerful aid to medicine. The nocebo effect is simply its opposite - it’s ugly sister. One difference is that its breadth and magnitude have been much less studied. Another is that it may be even more powerful than the placebo effect. It is easier to do harm than good. And this is worrisome because nocebo’s negative influence can be found lurking in almost every aspect of medical life – and beyond. From fears about side effects, to the abrupt bedside manner of unwitting doctors, to the health scares promoted by the mass media, the nocebo effect can create in us, a whole range of symptoms just as powerful as if they were being caused by an active treatment. But what if anything can be done about it? Geoff Watts investigates.
(Image: Geoff Watts, BBC copyright)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC |
| 0:35.4 | Sounds. |
| 0:38.4 | Choosing what to watch. |
| 0:39.4 | Night after night. |
| 0:41.1 | The flicking through. The endless searching is a nightmare. We want to help you. On our |
| 0:46.7 | brand new podcast off the telly we share what we've been watching. |
| 0:50.3 | Cladie aider. Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming, lovely. |
| 0:55.0 | Off the telly with me Joanna Paige and me, Natalie Cassidy, |
| 0:59.0 | so your evenings can be a little less searching |
| 1:02.0 | and a lot more watching listen on BBC |
| 1:04.7 | sounds choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the |
| 1:12.3 | endless searching is a nightmare. |
| 1:14.0 | We want to help you. |
| 1:16.0 | On our brand new podcast off the telly we share what we've been watching. |
| 1:20.0 | Cladie Aidea! |
| 1:22.0 | Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming. |
| 1:24.5 | Lovely. |
... |
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