Placebo: Relief Is Real, But It’s Not Treatment

I am not denying that placebo exists and it is real. 

A lot of people say: “I don’t care if it’s placebo. If I feel better, that’s what matters.”
And it’s true: feeling better matters. Relief is valuable. But here’s the problem—placebo isn’t treatment.  People should care. Because health isn’t just about how you feel today, it’s about whether the problem is truly being fixed for tomorrow.  Placebo can ease suffering, but it doesn’t treat disease. Feeling better matters — but fixing the cause matters more.

Relief vs. Treatment

• Placebo can reduce pain, calm anxiety, or improve sleep by shifting brain chemistry.
• But it does not kill infections, shrink tumors, repair tissue, or balance hormones.
• It changes how you feel about illness, not the illness itself.

That’s why relying on placebo alone can be dangerous. It may mask a disease while it gets worse in the background.

Examples of Placebo-Heavy “Treatments”

Some therapies persist and gain followers, not because they treat disease, but because they harness placebo effects:

• Bioresonance, radionics, “quantum” or “frequency” devices – claim to realign energy, but have no proven mechanism.  This is just technobabble attempting to give the appearance if science only.
• “Med beds” or healing pods – marketed as futuristic cures, but they’re science fiction, not medicine.
• Homeopathy – remedies are so diluted they often contain no molecules or the herb or supplement at all.
• Reiki, crystal therapy, “energy healing” – benefits come from attention and ritual, not measurable forces.
• Magnetic bracelets, copper bands, performance stickers – studies show no effect beyond expectation.
• Non-medicated patches (like LifeWave patches) – claim to boost energy or reduce pain without drugs; reported relief matches placebo response.
• Detox foot baths or cleanses – the body detoxes through liver and kidneys; “toxins” pulled out of feet or flushed by juice cleanses aren’t real.

People may feel genuine relief with these methods, but relief does not prove the treatment itself worked.

Why You Should Care

• Placebo is unreliable: not everyone responds, and effects fade.
• Placebo can delay real treatment: feeling better doesn’t mean the disease has stopped.
• Placebo can drain money and hope while offering no protection against progression.

The Bottom Line

The placebo effect is powerful—but it’s not a cure.
Use safe comfort measures to feel better, but don’t confuse them with treatments that tackle the real cause of illness. Relief is important, but relief without repair is not enough.

Why It Matters Whether It’s a Real Treatment

It’s tempting to say: “Who cares if it’s placebo—if I feel better, that’s enough.” But here’s why the difference between relief and treatment matters:

1. Relief can trick you into thinking you’re getting better

If pain or fatigue eases, you may believe the illness is under control. But placebo doesn’t kill bacteria, stop cancer, unclog arteries, or repair nerves. The disease can keep progressing silently.

2. Placebo is unreliable

Some people feel a boost, some don’t. Effects can fade quickly. You can’t count on placebo the way you can count on antibiotics curing pneumonia or insulin lowering blood sugar.

3. Lost time can cost lives

When people rely only on placebo-like treatments—things like bioresonance, homeopathy, “med beds,” or non-medicated patches—they may delay real care. By the time the disease is caught, options may be fewer.

4. Money and hope are valuable too

Spending thousands on products that don’t actually treat anything drains resources and trust, often at the worst time in someone’s life.