how does placebo work when people know it is a placebo?
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No one knows yet. One possibility is that the ritual of taking medicine itself might induce the body to produce endorphins that relieve pain, even if it’s a known placebo, but that’s just a theory at this point.
[https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/03/placebos](https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/03/placebos)
The relationship between the mind and pain is fascinating. I know someone who lost a limb and still feels pain in the missing limb, a common phenomenon. On the one hand, it’s all in her mind, but the pain is still very real, not at all imaginary, and treated with drugs. Some people also find relief through psychological exercises like massaging the good leg and pretending it’s the missing leg — kind of a physical placebo — but other people can’t fool themselves sufficiently.
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