Reblogged from The Magical World of G. Michael Vasey:

The world is a funny place. Talk about Magic and people will look at you as if you are certifiable. Change the word ‘Magic’ for ‘Placebo effect’ and scientists and psychologists will readily acknowledge that the mind has the power to heal our body simply via the act of imagination. Which is, after all – magic. I think the Placebo Effect is the best proof of magic there is and scientists think they discovered it relatively recently (I am a scientist as well by the way. By scientists in this instance, I mean materialist-reductionist types).

According to science, the placebo effect was discovered during medicine trials when the control group is given a sugar pill or similar but not the drug being tested for comparison purposes. However, those being given the inert material thought they were being given the drug and so they often experienced alleviation of their symptoms, healing or even side effects. In the years since, a number of medical conditions have been reported as benefitting from placebos, including acne, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, ED, ulcers, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatism, and colitis. Now get this! The original explanation was that patients were only imagining they felt well!

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