DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: It's not statins giving you aches and 苦痛s, it's the 'nocebo' 影響

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This time last year I was busy working on an 実験 designed to 論証する the 驚くべき／特命の／臨時の 力／強力にする of 'mind over 団体／死体'.?

With the help of Dr Jeremy Howick, an 専門家 from Oxford University, we 新採用するd more than 100 people in the Blackpool area who 苦しむd from chronic 支援する 苦痛.

Our 新採用するs were given a 瓶／封じ込める of impressive- looking pills which they were told might be a placebo ? a 模造の pill ? or might 含む／封じ込める a powerful new painkiller.

What they weren't told was that they were ALL getting 要約する／（宇宙ロケットの）カプセルs 含む／封じ込めるing nothing but ground rice.

Last year Dr Michael Mosley worked on an 実験 designed to 論証する the 力／強力にする of 'mind over 団体／死体'. 新採用するs were g iven a 瓶／封じ込める of pills which they were told might be a placebo pill or a powerful painkiller. But all the pills 含む／封じ込めるd 鎮圧するd up rice (在庫／株 image)

After three weeks of pill-popping, around half of our volunteers had got 重要な 救済 from taking the pills, even though they were 偽の.

Joe, who had told me his 支援する いつかs got so bad that he had to take morphine 'to get me out of the house', said he hadn't felt a twinge since he started on the pills.

Even more surprising, after I told them they had been on 模造の pills, most said they would carry on taking them.

THE POWER OF PLACEBOS... AND 'NOCEBOS'

The 実験, the largest of its 肉親，親類d undertaken in the UK, showed the amazing 力／強力にする of the placebo 影響 and the importance of learning how to harness it.

But there is also a dark 味方する to the 衝撃 that 期待s can have on your mind and 団体／死体.

It is called the nocebo 影響 ? the placebo 影響's evil twin.

As we've said, a placebo can make you feel better. But for some people, 存在 told that a pill they are about to take has 味方する 影響s ? whether it's a real 麻薬 or a 模造の ? is enough to make them experience those 味方する 影響s.

The 実験 showed the amazing 力／強力にする of the placebo 影響 and the importance of learning how to harness it. But there is also a dark 味方する to the 衝撃 that 期待s can have on your mind and 団体／死体 (在庫／株 image)

A few years ago I took part in an 実験 where we asked a group of volunteers to put one of their 武器 into a bucket of ice-冷淡な water.

This is a classic way to induce and then 熟考する／考慮する 苦痛, because having a very 冷淡な 手渡す is unpleasant but not dangerous.

They were told to try to keep their arm in the iced water for as long as possible. Our volunteers were then given some 'powerful painkillers' ? which were 現実に sugar pills ? by people in white coats carrying clipboards.

They were 警告するd that the 麻薬 they were about to take had 可能性のある 味方する 影響s such as nausea and dizziness.

Volunteers were told 可能性のある 味方する 影響s of the pills were nausea and dizziness. They were asked to swallow the pills and after 20 minutes told to put their arm in a bucket of ice water. While most said they could withstand the 冷淡な, a few dropped out 特記する／引用するing nausea and dizziness

The volunteers were asked to swallow the pills, and after a 20-minute wait, they were then told to put their arm 支援する into the bucket of iced water.

This time most of them were able to last much longer in the water, no 疑問 believing the 'powerful painkiller' had 増加するd their 苦痛 threshold.

However, 事前の to this, several of the volunteers dropped out of the 実験, complaining of 味方する 影響s from the 医薬, 含むing nausea and dizziness.

And remember, these were 模造の pills that could have had no 影響 どれでも.

The phantom 味方する 影響s were a ty pical nocebo 返答.

REAL REASON BEHIND STATINS CONTROVERSY

How ありふれた is the nocebo 影響? 井戸／弁護士席, in 臨床の 裁判，公判s for all 薬／医学s, 研究員s usually give half of 患者s the real 麻薬 and half a placebo pill.

No one ? not even the doctors themselves ? knows which is which. It's called a 二塁打-blind 臨床の 裁判，公判. Doctors do this as it's the perfect way to 実験（する） whether a 薬／医学 is 現実に working, or if its 利益s are in fact the placebo 影響.

On these 裁判，公判s, all 患者s, whether they are on the 本物の 薬／医学 or the 模造の, are 警告するd and then 定期的に questioned about 可能性のある 味方する 影響s.?

裁判，公判s often show a high number of 患者s in both groups experience 味方する 影響s.

While the 模造の pills had no have had no 影響, the phantom 味方する 影響s were a typical nocebo 返答?

In fact, some people on 模造の pills have to stop taking them altogether because their 味方する 影響s are so bad.

The nocebo 影響 is also one of the 推論する／理由s why so many people give up taking statins, the 麻薬s 広範囲にわたって used to 扱う／治療する and 妨げる heart 病気 by lowering cholesterol levels.?

There is, of course, a 抱擁する 審議 about the 利益s and 危険s of taking this 医薬. Critics argue that the 利益s are いっそう少なく than （人命などを）奪う，主張するd and the 味方する 影響s are far more ありふれた.?

But 熟考する／考慮するs 示唆する the more 消極的な stories there are about statins, the more likely people are to give them up.

There is no 疑問 that these cholesterol-lowering 麻薬s can 原因（となる） serious problems, but they are very rare, occurring in いっそう少なく than one per cent of 患者s.

The nocebo 影響 is also one of the 推論する／理由s why so many people give up taking statins, the 麻薬s 広範囲にわたって used to 扱う／治療する and 妨げる heart 病気 by lowering cholesterol levels. But there is a 抱擁する 審議 about the 利益s and 危険s of taking statins 医薬 (在庫／株 image)

Yet in 調査するs, 患者s often 報告（する）／憶測 milder symptoms: somewhere between ten and 30 per cent of 患者s who take statins complain of muscle 苦痛 and give up using the 麻薬 as a result.

How do we know it's a nocebo?

In blinded statins 熟考する／考慮するs, 抱擁する numbers of 患者s ? いつかs up to 40 per cent ? 報告（する）／憶測 味方する 影響s, whether they're taking the real pills or 模造の tablets.

So it can't be the 麻薬 that's to 非難する. It's more likely that 患者s have been 警告するd about the 味方する 影響s at the start of the 裁判，公判, 定期的に asked about whether they're getting any, and are no 疑問 also aware of the 論争s surrounding the 麻薬 too.

If you're having a hard time on statins, Dr Jorge Plutzky, a cardiologist at Brigham And Women's Hospital in the US city of Boston, 示唆するs that you ask yourself two questions: Did my symptoms begin すぐに after taking the first dose? And is the muscle 苦痛 only on one 味方する of the 団体／死体?

Critics argue the 利益s are いっそう少なく than （人命などを）奪う，主張するd and the 味方する 影響s are far more ありふれた.?But 熟考する／考慮するs 示唆する the more 消極的な stories there are about statins, the more likely people are to give them up (在庫／株 image)

If the answer to both questions is 'yes' then it's probably not the statins 原因（となる）ing the problems.

即座の onset of symptoms is more likely to be the nocebo 影響 ? because, having heard about how bad 味方する 影響s from statins are, you're 推定する／予想するing to を煩う them.

In reality, it usually takes time for a 麻薬 to build up in the 団体／死体 and 原因（となる） symptoms. 苦痛 in one 脚 is more likely to be a 緊張する.

If your symptoms are worrying you, then you should, of course, see your doctor and discuss trying a lower dose or a different brand.

TELL YOURSELF: THIS IS DOING ME GOOD

What I've learnt from doing these sorts of 実験s is not just the 力／強力にする of the mind, but the importance of the doctor-患者 関係. 非常に／多数の 熟考する／考慮するs have shown that empathetic doctors get better results than those who are more brusque.< /p>

My wife Clare, who is a GP, has 設立する that telling 患者s with type 2 糖尿病 that their 病気 can be put into remission with the 権利 diet and lifestyle changes is incredibly 動機づけるing.

In contrast, telling them, 'You have a 進歩／革新的な 病気 which pills may help,' does the opposite.

類似して, telling a 患者, 'Your 団体／死体 has an amazing capacity to 傷をいやす／和解させる at any age,' is far more likely to lead to 肯定的な changes than 説: 'Because you are older, you will 傷をいやす／和解させる more slowly.'

When you take pills, try not to dwell on 可能性のある 味方する 影響s. Instead tell yourself: 'This is really going to do me good.'

If you say that with 有罪の判決, thanks to the 力／強力にする of mind over 団体／死体, it may 現実に work.?

I am looking 今後 to starting on your 急速な／放蕩な 800 as I have type 2 糖尿病 and need to lose 負わせる.?

However, I walk my dog for two hours a day and find that, when I did the 5:2 以前, I couldn't walk for long on 急速な／放蕩な days 予定 to exhaustion. Is coffee 許すd?

Walking the dog is incredibly good for both you and your dog, so keep it up.

My 急速な／放蕩な 800 is わずかに different to some of my 以前 recommended diets. I now advise sticking to 800 calories, rather than 600 on your 急速な／放蕩なing days. This will make things a bit easier.

Coffee is 罰金, as is an extra small handful of nuts. They are rich in healthy fats, fibre and protein, but low carb, so you won't get a big 血 sugar spike. A small handful 追加するs up to about 120 calories, but a 40-minute walk will 燃やす those off.