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Because everyone's reaction to a new drug or treatment is so different, it's nearly impossible to know whether your drug had an instant effect or if it was a placebo effect (an improvement in symptoms from the act of taking a drug independent of its biological effects).
This is why placebos are frequently employed in clinical trials to assess the efficacy of a particular medication, particularly when assessing how effectively a drug works. For example, one group receives the tested drug, while the other receives a "fake" drug, or placebo, that they mistake for the actual thing. By analyzing how both groups react, the researchers can determine if the medicine is effective. If they both have the same reaction, whether it's an improvement or not, the medicine is said to be ineffective.
Experts have decided, however, that a positive reaction to a placebo does not necessarily mean that a treatment is ineffective, but rather that another, non-pharmacological process is at work. The exact mechanism through which placebos work is yet unknown. It's likely that the placebo effect is more than just the power of positive thought. It's a complicated neurobiological reaction that encompasses anything from increased levels of feel-good neurotransmitters like endorphins and dopamine to increased activity in brain regions associated with mood, emotional reactions, and self-awareness.
When people respond to a placebo, their brain activity changes. In one study, researchers employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the brains of people suffering from persistent knee osteoarthritis. After that, everyone was given a placebo and had their brains scanned again. The researchers discovered that those who experienced pain relief had more activity in the frontal lobe's middle frontal gyrus.
