People in control groups are usually given a sugar pill and are observed to assess if any changes occur to their health during the experiments. How do we know that these changes, if any, were the result of taking the sugar pill and not just random changes that might have happened even without taking the placebo? Are there any studies that prove that the placebo effect really exist?
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The most direct placebo effect studies involve giving people the same sugar pill and telling one half of the group that the pill does X and the other half that the pill does Y. For example, telling half the group the pill will give them energy (and that group sees a rise in blood pressure and heart rate, and report feeling more energetic) while telling the other half the pill will help them relax (and that group sees a drop in blood pressure and heart rate, and report feeling more calm). Same fake pill, same conditions with the only difference being the “fake” intended effect, which turns out to really happen.
And every good experiment can tease out the random events from statistically significant events.
Also, I think you may misunderstand exactly what the placebo effect is because you asked “How do we know that these changes, if any, were the result of taking the sugar pill and not just random changes that might have happened even without taking the placebo?” While we have ample evidence to establish the placebo effect exists, we do not ascribe any real power to sugar pill itself – it’s the brain itself making the changes due to the suggestion that the sugar pill does something. But the pill itself does nothing – it’s just a convincing charade that “tricks” the patient’s brain into doing the actual work. Remember that every part of your body is connected to your brain, and nearly everything your brain does is inaccessible to you consciously. If your brain wants to slow down or speed up some metabolic function or turn on or off pain or other receptors, etc., it has the tools to do so.
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