Placebos are commonly known as the inert drugs — think sugar pills — that researchers use to measure the effects of real drugs. But research shows they can actually improve certain health conditions. ...

How would you define optimism? Would you call it seeing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty? Perhaps say optimism is a positive attitude or the ability to see the bright side of a situation.

Laura holds a Master's in Experimental Neuroscience and a Bachelor's in Biology from Imperial College London. Her areas of expertise include health, medicine, psychology, and neuroscience.View full ...

Drug side effects may not always be a bad thing, for painkillers at least. An inert nasal spray that was presented as having painkilling properties was deemed more effective when it caused a mild ...

Harnessing the placebo effect for pain relief could help to reduce dosages of painkillers, lowering the risk of both side effects and becoming dependent on medication. Because it's a psychological ...

Catarina Craveiro, a biomedical research technician from Lisbon, had been hobbled by lower back pain from scoliosis since childhood, unable to do much physically and dependent on ibuprofen for relief.