Encouraging words help patients recover faster

Afew encouraging words about recovery time from a health care provider after an allergic reaction significantly reduces symptoms, according to a new study. “For many conditions, the simple act of being reassured by a medical professional can aid in the healing process, and we needn’t always rely on medication and procedures to make us feel better,” says Alia Crum, an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford University’s School of Humanities and Sciences whose research explores how patient mindsets can affect health outcomes and healing.

Lead author Kari Leibowitz, a graduate student, says the findings on doctor reassurance are in line with what people had known about the placebo effect. “Research on the placebo effect has long shown the importance and power of a physician’s words: When a physician gives people an inert treatment, such as a sugar pill, and tells them it will help them feel better, that pill is often effective,” she says.

To test the effects of a physician’s words on patient symptoms, the researchers set up a simple experiment with 76 study participants. They began their experiment by inducing a harmless, allergic reaction in study participants. The researchers found that when the health care provider offered a few assuring words, the feeling of itchiness declined significantly faster than in participants who were given no explanation about their reaction or recovery.