A fascinating new European study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine examines the role of conscious thought on the perception of pain, reports the Telegraph.
Researchers from three universities in Britain and Germany ran an experiment that showed the powerful role our beliefs play in the management of pain.
They placed a hot device on the skin of 22 volunteers, each with an intravenous line to administer a powerful opiate-based painkiller. Before any painkiller was administered, the volunteers ranked the pain at an average of 66 on a scale of 0 to 100.
When the scientists administered the painkiller without telling the volunteer, the average pain ranking dropped to 55. However, once the volunteer was informed that they had started administering the drug, the average pain ranking dropped even more to 39.
Even though it wasn’t true, the researchers then told the volunteers that they had stopped the pain medication, which resulted in a pain ranking of 64 – even though the drugs were still flowing.
MRI scans monitoring brain activity showed that pain networks were more active when the participant thought they weren’t receiving any painkiller. The opposite proved true when the volunteer believed they were receiving the medication – inhibited activity in the brain’s pain network.
"Doctors shouldn’t underestimate the significant influence that patients’ negative expectations can have on outcome,” said study lead Professor Irene Tracey at Oxford University.
"For example, people with chronic pain will often have seen many doctors and tried 16many drugs that haven’t worked for them…Doctors have almost got to work on that first before any drug will have an effect on their pain."