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RichardKennaway comments on Belief in Belief - Less Wrong
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What's weird about this is that if this theory works, anything forms an acceptable substitute.
So you don't need to buy any actual homeopathic "medication", you can save lots of money by just eating some sugar. (The homeopathic markup on sugar is just unbelievable.)
Even sugar isn't necessary, since you're stipulating that "what works" isn't any particular mechanism of action but just the action of treating yourself. You could as well choose to believe that taking a deep breath three times in succession is a good remedy against the cold (or whatever else ails you).
When I feel the first signs suggesting an incipient cold, I decide THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, and it nearly always goes away.
So far, I've only been able to make this work for colds, not any other malady.
Must remember to try this.
Which incipient signs do you look for?
A roughness in the throat is usually the first thing I notice. Unchecked, it develops into a cough, sore throat, sneezing, and at the peak a couple of days of being completely unable to function.
This happened about once a year on average before I discovered I could banish them by willpower, since when it's been more like once in five years, generally from extreme circumstances like being caught in the rain on a bike ride without adequate clothing.
Just to chuck in a little more anecdotal evidence, my husband applied this belief in the placebo effect, and so long as he can get an early night, he never suffers the little bugs and headaches.
It works in all instances where homeopathy has worked... ;)
The placebo effect rocks!