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In response to your post I believe that to some extent the brain can fix itself. I find the placebo effect totally fascinating. I like to know how and why things happen, so the placebo effect is a intriguing puzzle. It is clear, and well documented, that an ill person can respond to treatment with a sugar pill. Persons who are given placebos can show physiological changes, and pain releif, identical to that of someone receiving actual medical treatment. These consistent findings take the mind over matter debate to a whole new level.

When thinking about the placebo effect I keep coming back to the idea of a spectrum of illness. One end would be objective illness; a broken leg, quadriplegia. On the other end would be subjective illness; mental disorders, depression. The effectiveness of placebos seems to depend on where on the spectrum the illness lies. I have not read any studies showing that administration of placebo drugs results in regained movement in quadriplegia. Whereas placebos and antidepressent drugs have about equal efficacy in many trials. This makes alot of sense to me, not because depression is any less "real" but because of its subjective nature. I think the I-function box plays a role in the effect of placebos. Even though the input to the biological systen is merely sugar, to the brain it is "medication" and due to a persons expectations, beliefs, and environment the output is "health". Maybe it is that in quadriplegia the I-function box is sitting on the bench, whereas in depression it is the key player?

Clearly I am still in the process of thinking this one out, I would love to hear other ideas about the I-function box and its role in the placebo effect