This will be about how, I managed to stop using my corticosteroid nasal spray for symptom relief, then years later how I managed to make sure that even without coffee I do not fall asleep during an after-lunch lecture, what all this has to do with smoking cessation or chemotherapy, and how this method may help with weight loss or with the treatment of depression and panic attacks.
The explanation lies in the fact that God created us in such a way that our brain responds wonderfully even to what is known as conditioned open-label placebo.
Nevertheless, I should make it clear that we are all different, and just as we can react differently to hot peppers or ragweed, it is also certain that conditioned placebo does not work in us with the same effect. But if the thought of BITING INTO A LEMON makes a little more saliva gather in your mouth, there is hope.
Around 2010, I struggled a lot with my allergy, which sometimes made my nose so stuffy that I could breathe only through my mouth. My deviated nasal septum narrowed the airway to begin with.
As symptomatic treatment, I was given a corticosteroid nasal spray, which I was supposed to use for the rest of my life. It worked as a short-term solution, but it did not address the cause, and I was afraid of long-term side effects. I was told that the prospect of recovery was not good.
One day listening to Father Feri Pál's lectures, I heard of an experiment conducted on rats [1]. The animals were conditioned similarly to Pavlov's dog. (In case someone has not yet come across Pavlov's experiment: Ivan Pavlov, the Nobel Prize-winning physiologist, regularly rang a bell before giving the dog food. (He rang it to start timing, but the dog did not know that.) After a few occasions, the dog's saliva production started simply on hearing the bell, meaning that the animal gave a physiological response to an external stimulus.)
In the lecture mentioned, however, instead of bell-food-salivation, the subjects were sick rats that received the medication with sugar water, so the reflex developed between the sugar water and the effect triggered by the medication. Put simply, the rats survived even when, after conditioning, they were given only sugar water. (I think I found the original research that Father Feri Pál was talking about.[2])
I am grateful to God for the idea of trying medication conditioning on myself as well. My symptoms were more unpleasant than dangerous, so I felt confident enough to give it a try. “If it does not work, the nasal spray is still at hand; at worst, my nose will take five minutes longer to clear” I thought.
As the conditioned stimulus, I chose Pink's song “Just Give Me a Reason” and linked it to using the nasal spray. After roughly two weeks of simultaneous “use,” I tested the effect: in case of nasal congestion, I started humming the melody and voilà: even without medication, decongestion of the nasal mucosa occurred, opening the way for air.
This effect was still present two or three years later just as it had been at the beginning, and during that time I did not have to use the nasal spray even once. (Later, I had septoplasty for my deviated nasal septum, and with that the nasal congestion also disappeared. Since then, I have not been able to test whether it still works.)
Today I know that this method has been examined in many studies, and COLP (Conditioned Open-Label Placebo) is its official name. It could still be tested in many areas, but implementation in practice is moving slowly, despite the promising research findings. You can read about a few examples on the next page.
[1] https://www.palferi.hu/hanganyagok/2001-2002/2001-12-18/4
[2] Ader R, Cohen N. Behaviorally conditioned immunosuppression. Psychosom Med. 1975 Jul-Aug;37(4):333-40. doi: 10.1097/00006842-197507000-00007. PMID: 1162023. link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1162023/
How can I reduce my pain or the medications I take for my symptoms? How can I return to a sense of safety? How can I replace the cigarette or support my weight loss…?
Probably with all of these. Do not worry, not all at once; any one of them can work. And since a mud wrap is not easy to carry out on a packed bus, at work, or during a university practical, it may be better to choose something as simple as possible, preferably something that can be at hand at any time, perhaps even when you are splashing around in a swimming pool in your underwear. A particular melody worked for me. One of my teachers took four deep breaths for a migraine headache before taking a pain reliever. In essence, you can come up with anything that you can link to your medication, but the condition is that you do not use that stimulus at other times. (So the latest hit song is not ideal, because if you hear it everywhere, including when you should not, that can weaken the effect.) It may be an essential oil that you use in the safe therapy room. You can take it with you in a small bottle and inhale it when you feel the need. If you want to give up cigarettes, then the cigarette is the “medication” we were just talking about. When you light a cigarette, listen to your music or apply whatever you chose. (I think you already understand my point; if not, write to me and I can explain it in detail.) You can try several different things at the same time, but please choose a different melody or other stimulus for falling asleep and for replacing coffee!
Talk to your treating physician about what you are planning, and show them this page. If they say absolutely not, then DO NOT START UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. You probably have a medication that is not only for treating symptoms, and you could get into trouble if you try to replace it with a placebo. If they say it will not do harm, even though they do not believe it will help you, it is fine to go ahead.
Choose a stimulus as described above. (or anything else that seems good)
Wait for the symptoms for which you use the medication. (Or until you light a cigarette. Or when you are in that safe environment to which you later want to return to in your thoughts, or ...)
Use the medication as usual together with the chosen stimulus. (e.g., listen to that music while you use the nasal spray, or do a handstand while you apply cream to the itchy area…, do arm circles forward and backward… whatever you chose)
The symptom - medication - stimulus trio needs to be repeated about 10 times. (For rats, apparently 4-5 times was enough, but better safe than sorry; we are larger mammals. The more you repeat it the stronger the connection is likely to become in your brain.)
If you feel ready: the next time your symptoms come, first try only the conditioned stimulus: hum the melody, circle your arm, dance foxtrott... Try it until it takes effect. (I am not saying that if the pain reliever took 20 minutes to work, you should circle your arm continuously for twenty minutes, but during that time try to do a few arm circles.)
I hope you too get the desired effect.
Please complete the questionnaire here. (When you start conditioning, when you start quitting, and later at any time; this may show how long the effect lasts.) Providing the data requested in the questionnaire is not mandatory; whatever you provide, you do so voluntarily, and I promise that I will use it only for research purposes and will not pass your personal data on to any third party.
Please accept my gratitude for your trust and for taking the trouble to complete the questionnaire.
Request a gift copy of the little book containing my fifty-word stories, which were born from my experiences in the ambulance service; this has nothing to do with placebo.
Please share my website in as many places as possible so that others can learn about it and try the method. If you know someone for whom this method could be helpful, please do recommend my website to them. (Possibly in a personal form, please)
If you think that this can help you save on the cost of your medication or if you can simply afford to, please support me so I can finish medical school. You can do this in several ways here. You can help a lot even without money.
Attention!
On this website you can find information about how I was able to discontinue the medication that had been prescribed for symptomatic treatment. (I will refer to this as the “method” from here on.) You may feel that you would also like to try reducing — or possibly discontinuing — the medication you take for symptomatic treatment in a similar way.
Before you actually try this, you MUST TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST AND SHOW THEM THIS WEBSITE, so that—being aware of the research findings presented here—they can help you determine whether the “method” poses any risk to your health.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO DISCONTINUE OR ARBITRARILY REPLACE ANY MEDICATION THAT YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE NOT ONLY WHEN SYMPTOMS APPEAR, BUT BECAUSE OF AN EXISTING ILLNESS OR MEDICAL CONDITION (e.g., blood thinners, blood pressure medication, insulin, etc.). STOPPING THESE MEDICATIONS CAN LEAD TO A DETERIORATION OF YOUR HEALTH AND, IN THE WORST CASE, MAY EVEN RESULT IN DEATH.
This also applies to vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, and similar substances that the body cannot produce (in sufficient quantities) even in a healthy state, yet relies on them heavily.
The author of this website, the researchers involved, and the doctors or other individuals appearing on the site assume no responsibility for your health condition, as they do not know you or your medical status or illnesses!
If the “method” works for you as well (as it did for me and for some of my acquaintances), and you are able to reduce or replace your symptomatic medications, YOU SHOULD STILL CARRY THESE MEDICATIONS WITH YOU AS YOU USED TO. There may be situations in which, due to certain circumstances (for example, an infectious illness), the previously experienced placebo effect does not occur, and you may end up needing them after all.
Achtung!
Auf dieser Website findest du Informationen darüber, wie es mir gelungen ist, mein zur symptomatischen Behandlung eingesetztes Medikament abzusetzen. (Dies bezeichne ich im Folgenden als ‚Methode‘.) Es kann sein, dass du darüber nachdenkst, auf ähnliche Weise die Menge deiner symptomatisch wirkenden Medikamente zu reduzieren oder sie möglicherweise ganz abzusetzen.
Bevor du dies tatsächlich ausprobieren würdest, SPRICH AUF JEDEN FALL MIT DEINER BEHANDELNDEN ÄRZTIN/ARZT ODER DEINER APOTHEKERIN/APOTHEKER UND ZEIGE IHNEN DIESE WEBSITE, damit sie anhand der hier dargestellten Forschungsergebnisse gemeinsam mit dir beurteilen können, ob die ‚Methode‘ kein Risiko für deine Gesundheit darstellt.
AUF KEINEN FALL darfst du ein Medikament absetzen oder eigenmächtig ersetzen, das du nicht nur bei akuten Symptomen einnimmst, sondern aufgrund einer bestehenden Erkrankung oder eines dauerhaften Gesundheitszustands benötigst! (z. B. Blutverdünner, Blutdrucksenker, Insulin usw.) Das Absetzen solcher Medikamente kann zu einer Verschlechterung deines Gesundheitszustands führen und im schlimmsten Fall sogar lebensbedrohlich sein!
Dies gilt ebenso für Vitamine, Mineralstoffe, essenzielle Aminosäuren usw., die der Körper selbst im gesunden Zustand nicht (in ausreichender Menge) herstellen kann, auf die er jedoch dringend angewiesen ist.
AUF KEINEN FALL DARFST DU EIN MEDIKAMENT ABSETZEN ODER EIGENMÄCHTIG ERSETZEN, DAS DU NICHT BEI AUFTRETEN DEINER SYMPTOME EINNIMMST, SONDERN AUFGRUND DEINER BESTEHENDEN ERKRANKUNG ODER DEINES ZUSTANDS REGELMÄSSIG BENÖTIGST! (z. B. Blutverdünner, Blutdrucksenker, Insulin usw.) DAS ABSETZEN DIESER MITTEL KANN NÄMLICH ZU EINER VERSCHLECHTERUNG DEINES GESUNDHEITSZUSTANDS FÜHREN UND IM SCHLIMMSTEN FALL SOGAR ZUM TOD FÜHREN!
Das gilt auch für Vitamine, Mineralstoffe, essenzielle Aminosäuren … usw., die unser Körper selbst im gesunden Zustand nicht (in ausreichender Menge) herstellen kann, aber dringend benötigt.
Der Autor dieser Seite, die an der Forschung beteiligten Personen sowie die auf der Website genannten Ärztinnen, Ärzte und anderen Fachpersonen übernehmen keinerlei Verantwortung für deinen Gesundheitszustand, da sie weder dich noch deinen Zustand oder deine Erkrankungen kennen!
„Wenn die ‚Methode‘ auch bei dir funktioniert (so wie bei mir oder einigen meiner Bekannten) und du deine symptomatischen Medikamente reduzieren oder ersetzen kannst, SOLLTEST DU DIESE MEDIKAMENTE TROTZDEM WEITERHIN WIE GEWOHNT BEI DIR TRAGEN. Es kann nämlich vorkommen, dass unter bestimmten Umständen (z. B. bei einer Infektionskrankheit) die zuvor erlebte Placebowirkung ausbleibt und du das Medikament doch benötigst.”
Figyelem!
Ezen a honlapon információkat találhatsz arra vonatkozólag, hogy hogyan tudtam elhagyni a tüneti kezelésre szolgáló gyógyszeremet. (Ezt nevezem a továbbiakban „módszernek”.) Előfordulhat, hogy úgy gondolod, Te is megpróbálnád hasonló módon tüneti kezelésre szolgáló gyógyszereid mennyiségét csökkenteni, vagy esetleg azt elhagyni.
Mielőtt ezt valóban kipróbálnád MINDENKÉPPEN BESZÉLJ KEZELŐORVOSODDAL VAGY GYÓGYSZERÉSZEDDEL ÉS MUTASD MEG NEKI EZT A HONLAPOT, hogy az itt található kutatási eredmények ismeretében segíteni tudjon Neked eldönteni, hogy a “módszer” nem jelent-e veszélyt az egészségedre.
SEMMIFÉLEKÉPPEN NE PRÓBÁLJ MEG OLYAN GYÓGYSZERT ELHAGYNI, VAGY ÖNKÉNYESEN HELYETTESÍTENI, AMELYET NEM A TÜNETEID MEGJELENÉSEKOR KELL HASZNÁLNOD, HANEM A MEGLÉVŐ BETEGSÉGED VAGY ÁLLAPOTOD MIATT SZÜKSÉGES SZEDNED! (pl. vérhígító, vérnyomáscsökkentő, inzulin, stb.). EZEK ELHAGYÁSA UGYANIS EGÉSZSÉGI ÁLLAPOTOD ROMLÁSÁVAL JÁRHAT, LEGROSSZABB ESETBEN HALÁLHOZ IS VEZETHETNEK! Ez vonatkozik vitaminokra, ásványi anyagokra, esszenciális aminosavakra … stb. is, amelyeket a testünk egészséges állapotában sem tud (elegendő mennyiségben) előállítani, viszont nagy szüksége van rájuk.
Az oldal szerzője, a kutatásban részt vevő vagy a honlapon szereplő orvosok, személyek semmiféle felelősséget nem vállalnak az egészségügyi állapotodat illetően, hiszen nem ismernek Téged, sem az állapotodat, betegségeidet!
Amennyiben a „módszer” Neked is beválik, (mint nálam vagy más ismerőseim esetében is történt) és tüneti gyógyszereidet csökkenteni tudod, vagy ki tudod váltani, EZEN GYÓGYSZEREIDET AKKOR IS KORÁBBI SZOKÁSODNAK MEGFELELŐEN HORDD MAGADDAL. Előfordulhat ugyanis, hogy bizonyos körülmények között (pl. fertőzéses megbetegedés esetén) a korábban megtapasztalt placebo hatás nem jelentkezik, és mégiscsak szükséged lesz rá.