Probably in 2012, I remember when I was still studying for a master's degree. One of my classmates was in the oncology department, and one of the patients he was in charge of at the time was a cancer patient (forgot what the tumor was) and didn't cooperate well with the treatment. At that time, I was in the laboratory, not in the ward, one day my classmate called me and asked me to see the patient, the specific condition did not say too much, only said that the patient was very uncomfortable, and did not want to take Chinese medicine.
My classmates brought me to the patient, and I could clearly feel that the patient was anxious, his face was painful, and his attitude was not friendly. To be honest, I was also worried. But in front of the patient, I knew I had to "tighten" or the patient would be more desperate.
The patient looked at me and didn't speak, and I didn't speak. I just maintained a very serious expression, picked up the patient's wrist, and carefully touched the veins of my left and right hands for five minutes, giving me a preliminary understanding of the patient's physique. But the patient's specific symptoms, because I hadn't seen any other test reports at the time, I still didn't know, so I didn't make any conclusions and stay serious.
At this time, my classmate handed me his previous prescription and diagnosed the tumor. I flipped through every Prescription of Chinese Medicine and noticed that there were a large number of soothing Chinese medicines on it. At this time, I looked up at the patient's eyes and asked leisurely: "Has my sleep not been good lately?" ”
The patient's godless eyes suddenly widened, and he said in surprise, "Yeah, I haven't been able to sleep, doctor, how do you know?"
I still looked at the patient calmly and said slowly: "Don't be afraid, I adjust my hair, drink twice in a row tonight, and I can improve sleep as soon as tomorrow." You have to listen to the doctor, and other treatments should be done carefully. My tone was affirmative and my expression was determined. The patient quickly nodded and said yes.
I prescribed a prescription to go to the experiment, which was to help my classmates appease the patient, and then I did not care about this matter anymore.
But a few days later, my classmate called me and asked me what formula I had opened that day. It is said that since the cancer was detected, the patient began to have insomnia and began to become very anxious, sleeping pills are being taken, and Chinese medicines are also being eaten. However, only after eating a lot of stabilization can you barely fall asleep, but after waking up the next day, you still have no feeling of full sleep, and you always feel uncomfortable. But since taking my medicine, I was able to fall asleep the next day, and I said that since I was sick, I have never slept as soundly as I do now. The patient's ability to sleep well is undoubtedly a positive thing for the treatment of the disease.
I was also surprised, and I thought about it for a while, and I prescribed a conventional formula, and even most of the medicines were similar to the previous formulas. To have such an effect, it should not be my high level, nor the effect of traditional Chinese medicine is good, but the patient's mind has found the straw.
Many people say that TCM is a placebo. They roughly confuse the concepts of "placebo" with the "placebo effect." Any drug can have a "placebo effect."
How big is the placebo? And how does it work? Can it be used to improve patient treatment? These issues are hugely controversial in the medical community. Although placebos are commonly used in clinical trials, especially drug trials, their use in clinical treatment is generally considered unethical.
And I personally believe that patients always expect a little comfort, a little love. This "placebo effect", sometimes, may come from a look, an action, a sentence from a medical worker, or a family member or friend. This comfort may be a good medicine to accompany them through their moments of illness.