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What Are The Side Effects Of Chemotherapy Drugs?
Question: Academic question. In the testing of chemotherapy drugs the CONTROL subjects, who are only taking a dummy drug/ blank, also suffer side effects, including the more serious side effects of bone marrow depression. Presumably this is written off as "psychosomatic". I would like to know how you explain these medical conditions in terms of physiology because they are not simply emotionally based but involve actions of the immune system (i.e., an inflammatory response)? Ideas cannot produce these effects.
Brief Answer:
Cannot be psychological
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query.
I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through.
Its true that false drug better known as placebo in research terminology can cause side effects. Now placebo mostly can cause mild side effects like nausea or vomiting or gastritis or light headedness or headache and similar other problems . Most of them are psychogenic. Or it occur due to the non active drug component of placebo. It could be due to the excipient or the capsule material. Similarly the grave side effects like bone marrow depression cannot occur cause of placebo drug. It could be co-incidental or it could be due to the non-active drug conatined in the placebo or due to the capsule material.
Hope I am able to answer your concerns.
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
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Wish you good health,
Kind regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
Cannot be psychological
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query.
I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through.
Its true that false drug better known as placebo in research terminology can cause side effects. Now placebo mostly can cause mild side effects like nausea or vomiting or gastritis or light headedness or headache and similar other problems . Most of them are psychogenic. Or it occur due to the non active drug component of placebo. It could be due to the excipient or the capsule material. Similarly the grave side effects like bone marrow depression cannot occur cause of placebo drug. It could be co-incidental or it could be due to the non-active drug conatined in the placebo or due to the capsule material.
Hope I am able to answer your concerns.
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback.
In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:
bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy
Wish you good health,
Kind regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I used the example of chemotherapy drugs to give the most extreme example.The grave side effects like bone marrow depression DO occur in the patients taking the dummy drug or what the researchers call placebo. Is it not that the physiology is purpose driven so that where there is a belief, i.e., an idea upheld with confidence that it is true, then the person will react and that reaction is somatic? This means that the immune system launches an inflammatory response believing that there are dead or damaged cells that need clearing away.
Brief Answer:
It has limitations
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Placebo effect is psychological and it has an impact on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. This in turn may effect the immunity to some extent. This explains the minor side-effects, but a side-effect as grave as bone marrow supression cannot occur only by the placebo effect.
Kind regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy
It has limitations
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Placebo effect is psychological and it has an impact on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. This in turn may effect the immunity to some extent. This explains the minor side-effects, but a side-effect as grave as bone marrow supression cannot occur only by the placebo effect.
Kind regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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