Medical drugs are not approved by the government authorities to be sold in the market unless their effectiveness has been established. It is a requirement today that all drugs go through placebo testing.
Placebo testing for a drug means giving the drug to a set of patients and sugar-pills, which are not expected to help the patient in his disease (this sugar pill is called placebo), to another set of patients. The drug can only be cleared if the patients in the first set perform better than the patients in the second set.
Why is this test required?
The reason is that patients show some improvement by themselves when they know they are being treated even when no medicine or cure is being given to them (or just sugar pills are given to them)
The placebo testing clearly shows the power of thoughts in impacting the physical world. Just because we are thinking that we’ll get better, we get better. The thoughts gain enough power to manifest themselves in reality. Similarly, if the patient feels that it is difficult for him to recover, then it would indeed become difficult for him to recover.
This world is a large self-fulfilling machine.
There is a famous quote by Henry Ford,
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”
The point is we are always right. Why?
Because it is not that it exists and we predict; it is that we create what we believe.
The circumstances and the people surrounding us – everything is a result of all our past and current thoughts. If we want to change our circumstances or people around us, we’ll need to change our thoughts. It does not mean that we do not take any action and just sit thinking that it will change. Such thinking without action will always have “fear of nothing happening” at its base. In such a case, even though we’d try to think that the circumstances will change but at the back of our mind, we’ll be continuously thinking that they won’t. So, what we have to do is try our best: do the best we can. At the same time, we shouldn’t blame the existing circumstances or the people because we have attracted them to our life by our past thoughts and actions. “Blaming thoughts”, as you intuitively know, are negative thoughts and can only take your life towards negativity (As you sow, so shall you reap).
I feel like sharing here a story that I read in a book:
“There was an old lady who had suffered numerous misfortunes and miseries in her life and was overwhelmed with frustration, indignation, anger, hatred and sadness. Her life became devoid of happiness, hope, brightness and goodness.
She became irritable, quarrelsome and furious. Gradually, her vicious temperament adversely affected her health and reflected on the features of her face which looked ugly, haggard, abhorrent and repulsive. In due course, all her relatives and friends deserted her and she was left all alone to lead a dry, dreary and miserable life. The people around her avoided her repulsive company and children would run away to hide from the sight of her ugly dreadful countenance. A noble soul took compassion on the wretched condition of this old miserable lady and approached her with kindness and sympathy. She asked her to recollect the brightest and happiest occasion of her life. The old lady at once brought her wedding photo and started narrating the happy and blissful events of her marriage. As she did so, luster came back in her sad eyes and the features of her old wrinkled face became blooming and attractive. The good lady took her to the mirror and told her to carefully observe and
mark the difference between her own features before and after the interview. The old lady was astonished at her own bright eyes and glowing face in spite of her wrinkled skin. Actually, she was frightened to compare her new features with her usual miserable repulsive countenance.
The crucial point in this story is the sudden change in her countenance wrought by the sweet and blissful memory of a bright and happy occasion of her life. It was the direct and immediate result of the change in her thoughts.
She was advised to replace her usual depraved thoughts with higher and nobler thoughts and contemplate frequently on the brighter side of life, with thankfulness for the blessings of the Lord, as often as possible. By and by, her features changed for the better and luster of her eyes returned, and her behaviour became reasonable and endearing. Her repulsive countenance became attractive and lovely. Her neighbours and friends again flocked to her to sympathise and cheer her up, the fearful children came running to her and enjoyed her newly sprouted affection and kindness. Ultimately, she died as a ‘Loving Noble old lady’ instead of that ‘repulsive, witch-like old lady’, thus ensuring herself, endearing, kind and loving life in the here-after.
The magic that wrought such an unbelievable and wonderful miracle to the hopeless, despondent and wretched life of the old lady, is Eternal Universal Law : As you think, so you become”.