you're wrong, because these are all tic-tac's, but if I was a medical professional handing

如果你認為你找到了，那麼你錯了，因為這些全部都是薄荷糖，但如果我是個藥學專家，

over some tablets to cure your headache or the morning after pill (you wouldn't want

把這些''藥丸''交給你，以治療你的頭痛，或是當作事後避孕藥(在你想要真正的藥，而不想吃到薄荷糖的前提下)

that to be a tic-tac), how do you know that it's the real deal?

你怎麼能知道你沒有被騙呢?

This is where the placebo effect takes place. Could a doctor give you a pill which is actually

這就是這些安慰劑發揮效果的關鍵點，醫生能不能給病人一顆表面上是藥丸，實際上卻是糖果安慰劑的東西

a sugar pill (or tic-tac if you say it's supposed to be minty) and cure their patient?

(或是薄荷糖，如果你覺得那是薄荷口味的話)卻仍然能治癒病人呢?

and research points to us being able to take a pill

In one study conducted around the placebo effect it was found that if doctors said that

在一項與安慰劑效應相關的研究中發現，要是醫生對病人說，

the patient would "feel better in a few more days" that patients recovery was increased

''吃了這個藥之後幾天後就會好一點''的話,病人的痊癒情況會比醫生說

than saying something like "this isn't going to help you at all." Some studies have even

'就算吃了這種藥也不會對你有任何幫助''之類的話還要好;有些研究更顯示

shown that the amount you have to take, the size, how many you have to take a day, what

病人的用藥量,藥丸的大小,一天服藥的次數,

box the drug comes in and even the colour of the pill can make the effect stronger or

藥品的包裝甚至於藥丸的顏色都能使藥力增強或減弱

weaker. Even things like getting an injection instead of taking a pill can have a stronger

就連打針替代服藥這樣的改變都能使效力倍增

effect even though they're all medically ineffective. So does it mean just can't heal our body?

就算你打的針本身並不具有任何效果 是不是表示 他無法治療身體呢

Some research suggests that the placebo effect works because the body releases endorphins,

有些研究指出，安慰劑效應之所以能發揮效果，是由於人體會分泌出一種腦內啡

not to be confused with dolphins. Endorphins are the body's natural pain killers and could

別把這個字跟海豚搞混了，腦內啡就像是人體會自然產生的一種止痛藥，

be why the placebo effect works quite well when we're trying to get rid of pain.

並能促使安慰劑效應在我們想要止痛時能夠充分地生效

One study found that those who were given a real drug which increased their hormone

根據研究發現，那些被給予真正的賀爾蒙藥丸的病人

level had the same amount of increase when they were given a placebo tablet later on.

增加的賀爾蒙的量，與被給予安慰劑的病人的量一樣多

The same study found that those who didn't get the initial hormonal increase drug didn't

在同樣的一項研究中發現，有部分沒有服用真正賀爾蒙藥物的人

see their hormone levels increase.

賀爾蒙並沒有增加

The placebo effect doesn't work for everyone, but it's interesting to think that perhaps

顯示賀爾蒙效應並不是對任何人都有效，但有趣的一點是，想到我們可能

if we learnt more about it we could eventually cure ourselves with the power of our brains,

運用大腦本身的力量讓自己痊癒，

which would be much more useful than having to deal with the side-effects of the tablets

這會比我們現今必須服用帶有副作用的藥物這樣的治療方式來的有用得多

we take today.