Placebo Power

You walked into the doctor's office You knew the shot was coming Your shoulder already hurt Before the needle touched your skin

Real pain, before the needle You expected it Your brain delivered

You came home from school Mom said ice cream after dinner You already felt better Before the spoon

Real warmth, before the bite You expected it Your brain delivered

Placebo Placebo A sugar pill, a real result The brain believed and the body felt

Placebo Placebo A sugar tablet in a paper cup And the body believed it up

Doctors give a fake pill in studies A pretend medicine, no medicine inside Just sugar Just nothing

And a third of the time The patients get BETTER On NOTHING On a sugar tablet

Their headaches fade Their stomachs settle Their pain steps down Their brain releases its OWN pain killer

The body has its OWN pharmacy Endorphins Dopamine Serotonin

The brain holds the keys The brain decides when to dose And the brain LISTENS To what you EXPECT

Placebo Placebo A sugar pill, a real result The brain believed and the body felt

Placebo Placebo The mind is a real machine And expectation is a steering wheel

Now flip it Flip the whole thing The OPPOSITE happens too That's called nocebo

You think a thing will hurt It hurts more You think you'll get sick from a food You feel sicker

Same trick Different direction The brain delivers what you ordered Whether you wanted it or not

Real medicine is still real Antibiotics, vaccines, surgery — all real Saving lives every day The pill is the pill

But the brain is in the room Your expectation is in the room The doctor and the brain are working On the same kid

Placebo Placebo A sugar pill, a real result The brain believed and the body felt

Placebo Placebo The body's listening to you Tell it something true

(So when you're nervous before a thing — your body believes you) (When you're calm before a thing — your body believes you too) (Pick what to tell it) (It's listening)

Placebo Placebo The mind is a real machine And expectation is a steering wheel