Sherlock Holmes and the Effect of the Nocebos...

Terrific article published as Belief and Its Effect on Our Health by my colleague Russ Gerber in the Huffington Post!Penny Sarchet doesn't think of herself as a detective, but she's been acting like one. She recently received a prize for her science essay on the nocebo effect, one of the winning entries in a writing contest sponsored by the Wellcome Trust in association with the Guardian and The Observer, who have been on the lookout throughout the UK for the next generation of outstanding science writers.Like any good detective, Sarchet carefully examined the evidence, the scientific research, on nocebos (harmful effects linked to a harmless substance -- the opposite of placebo effect). This led her to some compelling observations about the link between a negative mental state and physical suffering...(Read more)