Placebo Effect

Once upon a time there was a curd seller Bholu in a small village. Bholu had some cows which produced milk and then he processed the milk into curd and sold it in the nearby villages. Bholu was following his ancestors. His father and grandfather did the same. Although Bholu was not into a big business, he was simply happy and satisfied with his humble life and tiny business. He had a loving wife and a caring mother and a cute girl child to take care of. Whatever Bholu earned from his curd business was enough to manage his family needs. Bholu lived a life like a regular villager and never had big dreams like setting in town or scaling his business to earn more.

In the nearby villages Bholu's curd was so popular as it was fresh and pure and he had so many regular customers. One of his customers was an old lady who had very good bonding with Bholu and many times in the evening while returning back to his village Bholu and the old lady had their evening tea together along with some day to day life happenings talk.

Bholu enjoyed the company of the old lady as the old lady used to guide and suggest Bholu. Bholu considered the old lady as a guardian figure and he had a great respect for her. One usual day, Bholu was sitting with the old lady and chatting, the old lady asked Bholu that she had a surprise for him. Bholu asked eagerly what's that? The old lady smiled and offered Bholu her home made curd. The old lady said I always purchased curd from you but today I tried to make it by myself. Bholu was surprised and he ate all the curd offered by the old lady. Bholu thanked the old lady and also said that she knows the art of making good curd. The old lady became so happy by Bholu's compliment.

And after spending some time with the old lady that evening,  Bholu went back to his home like always. Suddenly in the night, the old lady got a shock. When she was cleaning the curd vessel, she saw a lizard's body in it. The lizard died in the curd because it was unable to come out of the densed curd. The old lady got a chill in her spine. She thought she fed Bholu with the same poisonous curd and maybe Bholu's life could be at risk. The old lady was so anxious she prayed to god for the safety and wellness of Bholu. She felt sorry for her mistake that she could not see that lizard earlier.

The next day she sat on the doorstep and waited for Bholu? But bholu didn't come. Day after she waited again but Bholu didn't give a visit. Like this almost one week passed and Bholu was not seen. Now the old lady felt extremely sorry and she realised that due to the poisonous curd Bholu is no more. She cried and asked forgiveness from God. Days passed and the old lady stopped mourning the death of Bholu and got busy with her life.

One month later the old lady was surprised to see Bholu. She hugged her and told her that she is so happy to see him alive. Bholu was surprised and told he was busy at a family function so he could not visit her. The old lady told Bholu about that poisonous curd incident. Bholu's mind got filled with negative things after knowing the matter. But in front of the old lady he managed to be normal but deep inside Bholu's mind was generating some stories ! After selling his curd and meeting the old lady, Bholu returned back to his home like always. But as he returned home, he was sick and full of fear too. Actually the Placebo effect had started showing the outcome.

Yes, the placebo effect is a physiological factor responsible for creating positive or negative outcomes as per the happening or your own thoughts and emotions. Bholu told his wife about the poisonous curd thing. But Bholu's wife was clever, she told that the incident happened long back and if it was to harm you it would have happened on the same day, so there is no point of worrying now. Still Bholu fell sick and he had hard anxiety and fear of death that led him to sleeplessness and depression. The wife counselled Bholu again and again and took care of his diet and health. After so many efforts and deep conversation, boosting Bholu came back to normal.

So the conclusion is what we think we create. If Bholu was never informed about the poisonous curd he would have never fallen sick. The same thing applies to all the conditions of our life. Remember you can do it and you cannot do it. They are just stories and they both are true. The thing which matters is which story you want to choose and work upon.

Dr Priyanka Gupta

Delhi