Today we delve deep into the fascinating world of the placebo effect, exploring its implications in medical treatments and the ethics surrounding its use. Dr. Helena Hartman, a neuroscientist, joins the show to talk about how expectations can significantly influence treatment outcomes. Hartman shares her research insights into pain, empathy and placebo and the importance of expectation in driving placebo effects.

We also talk about the work being done by the Treatment and Expectations group uncovering the complex interplay between expectation, treatment efficacy, and the ethical dilemmas that arise when discussing placebo in a clinical context. Hartman emphasizes the importance of transparent communication with patients regarding the use of placebos and the potential benefits they can offer when patients are informed about their effects. We also discuss the challenges posed by wellness influencers who may mislead the public into thinking that they can heal themselves through mental power alone, neglecting the necessity of real medical interventions. Hartman highlights the importance of finding a balance between promoting the benefits of medical treatments and avoiding the pitfalls of over-hyping the placebo effect, especially in the age of misinformation.

Finally we take an intriguing examination of side effects and their unexpected role in enhancing the efficacy of treatments. Hartman discusses a study showing that mild side effects from placebos can actually boost the perceived effectiveness of treatment, tying back to the central theme of expectation. This leads to a broader conversation on the implications for future medical practices, particularly in the realm of psychedelics, where the challenges of maintaining placebo control are complex.

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• Side-effects are often a curse. Can they also be a blessing?
• Accessible scientific results and exciting fictional stories in one.
• What can psychedelic drugs teach us about placebo-controlled trials?
• Treatment and Expectations Group - Find out and join in / TRR 289

The great science broadcaster and author Jay Ingram joins me once again to talk about science that goes mainstream. Why does do some topics jump out of dedicated science news channels and how should critics respond? Is there any good way to present the process behind science and why is that crucial for critiques of misleading stories. These are some of the topics we explore and Jay provides some positive examples of efforts to communicate the changing nature and long term vision of scientific research.

We pose many questions about how best to tell science stories and not all were answered but just like research, communication is an ever evolving thing as well. Let me know what you think about science media and where you'd like to see change.

This is the only link you need to subscribe to Two Brad For You. Please do rate and review it really helps us out.

If you'd like to support the show with currency click here. We are grateful for that too. Finally, you can check out the website here.

Many thanks to Freak Motif for the music and Sebastian Abboud for the logo.

• Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission
• Yes, Social Media Really Is a Cause of the Epidemic of Teenage Mental Illness - Jonathan Haidt
• The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
• Unsettled science on social media - Science
• Defy Dementia Podcast

In June an independent advisory committee recommended the FDA not approve MDMA assisted therapy for PTSD. This came as a surprise to many working in and following the field of psychedelic assisted therapy. It also raised questions as to where the field is at and what challenges still exist.

To provide some context and perspective on this decision and some of the specific criticism raised during the hearing Henrik Jungaberle, a psychedelic and public health researcher in Berlin joined the show.

This is the only link you need to subscirbe and never miss an episode of Two Brad For You. Please do rate and review it really helps us out.

If you'd like to support the show with currency click here. We are grateful for that too. Finally, you can check out the website here.

Many thanks to Freak Motif for the music and Sebastian Abboud for the logo.

• The MIND Foundation
• Methodological challenges in psychedelic drug trials: Efficacy and safety of psilocybin in treatment-resistant major depression (EPIsoDE) – Rationale and study design - ScienceDirect
• Treatment with psychedelics is psychotherapy: beyond reductionism - The Lancet Psychiatry
• Measuring psychotherapeutic processes in the context of psychedelic experiences: Validation of the General Change Mechanisms Questionnaire (GCMQ) - Journal of Psychopharmacologyent...
• Was the FDA Panel Right to Recommend Against MDMA Approval? - MedPage Today
• Psychiatric Drug Developers Make Recommendations Following Lykos Adcomm - BioSpace
• An emotional public hearing on MDMA: ‘Today you will vote on whether my friends live or die’