Nocebo instead of placebo: Anyone who expects something negative often feels negative consequences.

Is it all just your imagination?

Headaches, lack of energy, fever – these are typical side effects of a Covid vaccination. A current study now shows that around three quarters of the symptoms were not triggered by the vaccine, but are based on the nocebo effect. Pain and side effects caused by the nocebo effect are measurable and therefore detectable in the body.

What is the Nocebo Effect?

The nocebo effect can be viewed as the “evil twin” of the placebo effect. The placebo effect means that a dummy medication without any active ingredients helps because the positive expectation alone leads to an effect. The reverse happens with the nocebo effect: the expectation that the medication or vaccination will lead to side effects can actually trigger side effects. However, these are not triggered by the active ingredient.

Who does the effect affect?

Prof. Dr. Michael Witthöft from the Clinical Psychology University of Mainz has found: People with a strong imagination as well as anxious people are particularly susceptible to the nocebo effect. The effect can be triggered, in particular by medication, vaccinations and test results. The more intensive conversations about the Covid vaccinations that we encounter in circles of friends, but also in media reporting, increase expectations. The expert explains that the fact that a completely new process is used for this vaccination with mRNA technology could also contribute to the effect.

How can you get around the effect?

How potential diagnoses and side effects are communicated by the doctor is important. Intimidation or fear can be prevented in this way - and thus also the nocebo effect. It therefore makes sense to take time to talk to patients and at the same time to explain the nocebo effect.

Note: This video is an extract from the SWR health magazine Doc Fischer from February 14, 2022: https://youtu.be/tuzQrNBbgQU

Author: Juana Guschl


Source and article image: YouTube/SWR Marktcheck Also interesting:
Even the symptoms during a COVID-19 illness can indicate whether someone will get Long Covid.
Long Covid – level of antibody levels may be crucial


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )