Words, Belief, and the Hidden Side of Healing

I’ve spent years inside medicine—researching, publishing, treating, and teaching. Then, one day, I sat on the other side of the exam table with my own diagnosis. In that moment, I knew I would use every credible tool available evidence‑based treatment and something less visible but just as real: the mind’s role in healing.

People often call that “placebo.” Not as deception, but as biology. Expectation, context, relationship, and meaning can change physiology—pain perception, inflammation, even heart rate variability. If that’s true, how do we harness it intentionally and ethically?

When Medicine Meets Mindset: Healing Beyond Diagnosis

Saying Yes to Possibility

No one can “hand” you a placebo. But you can invite your mind to participate in healing. For me, that meant stepping outside the usual boxes—working with a cancer coach, exploring energy work, and saying yes to a shamanic perspective introduced by someone I trusted. I didn’t need to know exactly how it worked; I needed to allow the possibility that it could help. That openness itself was healing.

Why This Matters (and Isn’t “Being Fooled”)

Across cultures, belief shapes biology. A Lakota shaman might honor the elk’s strength and, through ritual and meaning, transmit courage and endurance to the community. Western medicine has its own rituals: white coats, sterile rooms, scans lighting up on a screen. These contexts carry power. Neither denies science; both acknowledge that humans heal inside stories, relationships, and environments.

The Evidence We Often Miss

• Expectancy effects: What we expect can modulate pain, nausea, fatigue, and mood via measurable pathways (endorphins, dopamine, descending pain inhibition).

• Therapeutic alliance: Trust and empathy correlate with better adherence, lower symptoms, and higher quality-of-life scores.

• Words as interventions: Framing (“this treatment is potent and well‑studied” vs “this probably won’t help”) changes outcomes, even with the same medication.

• Open‑label placebo: In some studies, patients improved knowing pills were placebos—because context, ritual, and care still act on the nervous system.

The Power of Words Words can heal—or harm. “You won’t make it” plants fear that constricts the body. “You can make it” opens space for effort, adherence, and the micro‑choices that compound into health. This is one reason I left large institutions to build a practice where the human elements—time, listening, encouragement—are not optional extras but core medicine.

Healing naturally can feel overwhelming; healing with medicine alone can feel incomplete. Most people do best in the space between:

• Medicine: Evidence‑based treatments that reduce inflammation, control disease activity, and protect long‑term function.

• Mind‑body: Practices that shift the nervous system toward parasympathetic “rest‑and‑repair,” reduce threat signals, and improve resilience.

• Meaning: Community, ritual, and language that restore hope and a sense of agency.

Practical Ways to Engage the “Hidden” Side of Healing

• Language check: Notice your self‑talk. Replace “my body is broken” with “my body is adapting” or “my body is learning to calm.”

• Micro‑rituals: Pair medications with a brief breath practice and a simple intention. The brain learns to associate treatment with safety.

• Co‑regulation: Heal in community—groups, support partners, or guided cohorts—to borrow calm and accountability.

• Nervous system hygiene: 3–5 minutes daily of extended‑exhale breathing, gentle movement, or guided relaxation to signal safety.

• Choose your inputs: Curate media and conversations that reinforce possibility, not doom.

FAQs

1. Is “placebo” just fake improvement? No. Expectation and context engage real neurobiological pathways. The relief is measurable—even when patients know they’re receiving a placebo in some studies.

2. Does belief replace medicine? No. It complements it. Think of belief, relationship, and ritual as amplifiers that help evidence‑based treatments work better and feel gentler.

3. Isn’t this just positive thinking? It’s more than positivity. It’s about deliberately shaping your environment, language, and nervous system state to support healing.

4. What if I’m skeptical? You don’t need blind faith—just curiosity. Try small practices and track what changes.

A Note to Fellow Clinicians

Our words are interventions. Our presence modulates physiology. Bringing hope, clarity, and time into the room doesn’t dilute science; it delivers it more effectively.

Never underestimate hope. Medicine can guide your body. Your mind—and the meaning you make—can support the journey. Together, they open doors to healing many of us were never taught to look for.

If you’re seeking a team that honors both evidence and the human spirit, we’re here.

UnabridgedMD | Rheumatology, Denver, Boulder, + Telehealth

Call 303‑731‑4006 or email info@UnabridgedMD.com

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