8.08.2007

Power of Placebo


A little boy would not go to sleep because his hand was hurting and a wise Grandpa warmed up a special something...he told the young boy to carefully drink the prepared drink. He warned the child that this drink would help his hand heal and that it would probably even cause him to fall asleep extra quickly. He told him to drink it slowly - it might not taste familiar. The drink worked. The boy felt calm and sleepy and his worries faded.

The drink was warm water and a little guava juice that had been in the fridge. And it worked because it really wasn't about a sickness or a pain - worries are sometimes the hardest to appease. Thank goodness for a simple placebo in a pinch.
Painting: Tea by James Jacques Joseph Tissot

1 comment:

Shanna said...

So I don't have kids, but I can totally comment on this one! My little brother was driving me nuts one day complaining about his mosquito bites. I told him I had some anti-itch lotion I would get for him. I got a big squeeze of good old fashioned Jergens and made a very big deal out of rubbing it all over his arm. It totally worked, he was cured! My mom almost ruined it she was laughing so hard watching the whole thing unfold. He actually asked me for some of my anti-itch lotion a couple months later.