Placebo mechanisms are well-known. As Ken Milne of The Skeptic’s Guide is happy to tell you, the power of belief is strong.
But, it turns out it can be made stronger.
This rather fascinating study evaluates the power of oxytocin. Oxytocin has been linked to processes of empathy, trust, and social learning. These elements, as noted by the authors, are key to patient-physician interactions. So, they perform a little study to see whether oxytocin can enhance the placebo effect – tapping into the elements of physician empathy and trust.
In the experiment, a technician applied either oxytocin or saline intranasally. Then, they applied the same inert cream to two sites on each patient’s forearm, telling the patient one was the control, and one was the active drug. Patients were tested using heat as painful stimuli on a visual analog scale.
There was, as expected, a placebo effect. In the saline group, the mean VAS difference between the inert “control” cream and the inert “placebo” cream was 7mm. In the oxytocin group, however, the mean VAS difference between sites was 13mm. In their small group of patients, this result met statistical significance – and thus the authors conclude oxytocin enhances the placebo response.
Not precisely certain how this would be applied clinically, but it’s a fascinating little research letter.
“Effect of Oxytocin on Placebo Analgesia: A Randomized Study”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24150470