Biochemistry: Week 1 Reflections

The placebo effect always makes for an interesting discussion. The definition itself speaks strongly to the paradigm in which it was created, one in which medicine will reduce a person to a chemistry problem, to be solved accordingly:

The placebo effect - when the patient feels better despite taking a medicine with no active 

ingredient.

Patient X has symptoms A, B and C? 

Give pill D! 

(...)

And/or hug. 
And/or a flower essence.

And/or take the time to be present and listen to their story.

And/or let them know that their body/being has an incredible capacity for healing.

And/or pray.

And/or ... (the list can go on indefinitely)

The beauty of the placebo effect is that is demonstrates that healers are not technicians and people are not passive recipients of treatment. Even fake acupuncture has a healing effect. I do not believe that this invalidates a modality of our medicine, but rather highlights how critical intention is to healing. 
We posses an innate power to heal ourselves. When healing occurs, does it matter if it was a pill, a needle or a swim in the sea? Can we really ever know what action or substance has produced a healing effect? I don't think we can know. The more faith we have in ourselves and our patients to heal, the more transformation we will see.

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The definition of biochemistry that speaks to me is:

Biochemistry is the study of the fundamental mechanisms of life at the molecular level.

I am intrigued by this. I'm looking forward to this class and learning more about what we are able to observe on a molecular level of the mechanisms of life.