Placebos Found to Ease PMS Symptoms Despite Awareness of Being Fake Pills

Rapid Summary

• A study conducted by Antje Frey Nascimento at the University of Basel, Switzerland, examined the impact of placebo pills on reducing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.
• It involved 150 women aged 18 to 45 with moderate to severe PMS, where participants rated disruptive PMS symptoms scoring 4 or higher on a scale of 0-5.
• Participants where divided into three groups:

– group 1: Took two placebo pills daily for two menstrual cycles, knowing they were placebos.
– Group 2: Took placebo pills with an explanation about how placebos work via suggestion and belief.
– Group 3 (control): Did not take any placebo pills but continued using their usual medications.

• Key findings:

– group 1 saw a reduction in symptom intensity by an average of 50% and disruption by 50% compared to baseline.
– Group 2 reported even greater reductions-79% decrease in symptom intensity and 83% lower disruption in daily life.
– Control group experienced smaller improvements-33% reduction in intensity and a 46% decrease in disruption due to participation effects like completing diaries.

• Contributing factors include subconscious/psychological expectations triggering real physiological effects like endorphin release through the placebo effect.

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