A new study highlights the brain’s role in immune health
The placebo effect, in which a patient’s subjective belief can affect the efficacy of treatment, was once maligned as dubious and unscientific, but is now recognised as a genuine, albeit poorly understood, therapeutic tool. In a study published this week in Nature Medicine, researchers have begun to lift the lid on its inner workings by demonstrating that positive expectations can boost the immune system’s response to vaccination.
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