--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When conventional medicine fails, when we…" description: "\"“When conventional medicine fails, when we must confront pain and death, of course we are open to other prospects for hope. And, after all, some illnes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/carl-sagan-160_anxiety-depression_when-conventional-medicine-fails-when-we_1271720.jpg" --- # When conventional medicine fails, when we must confront… ![“When conventional medicine fails, when we must confront pain and death, of course we are open to other prospects for hope. And, after all, some illnesses are psychogenic. Many can be at least ameliorated by a positive cast of mind. Placebos are dummy drugs, often sugar pills. Drug companies…” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/carl-sagan-160_anxiety-depression_when-conventional-medicine-fails-when-we_1271720.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/carl-sagan-160_anxiety-depression_when-conventional-medicine-fails-when-we_1271720.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/carl-sagan-160_anxiety-depression_when-conventional-medicine-fails-when-we_1271720.jpg) > ““When conventional medicine fails, when we must confront pain and death, of course we are open to other prospects for hope. And, after all, some illnesses are psychogenic. Many can be at least ameliorated by a positive cast of mind. Placebos are dummy drugs, often sugar pills. Drug companies routinely compare the effectiveness of their drugs against placebos given to patients with the same disease who had no way to tell the difference between the drug and the placebo. Placebos can be astonishingly effective, especially for colds, anxiety, depression, pain, and symptoms that are plausibly generated by the mind. Conceivably, endorphins -the small brain proteins with morphine-like effects - can be elicited by belief. A placebo works only if the patient believes it’s an effective medicine. Within strict limits, hope, it seems, can be transformed into biochemistry.”” [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hope and belief can trigger physiological responses, making placebos effective for certain conditions. **In simple terms:** Mindset can influence body chemistry. Key Takeaway Leverage positive expectations in treatment. Themes psychology medicine hope belief biochemistry Mood thoughtful analytical Type scientific educational When to use this quote - clinical trials - pain management - mental health therapy - patient counseling Key Concepts placebo effect mind-body connection neurochemistry Questions to Reflect On - How can clinicians ethically harness expectation? - What conditions benefit most from belief? A Different Perspective Placebo efficacy is limited to subjective symptoms and requires ethical transparency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-depression/) [Belief Placebo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-placebo-4079366/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Drugs Placebos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-placebos-4079367/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Mind Placebos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-placebos-4079365/) [Placebo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/placebo/) [Placebos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/placebos/) ## Related quotes > [It's known that stress gives rise to disease. It's also known that many diseases, especially stress-related diseases, can be cured by placebos - pills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-known-that-stress-gives-rise-to-disease-it-s-also-known-that/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Placebos are like the lollipop of optimism, but we can do much better by dealing directly with the mind... And it works!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/placebos-are-like-the-lollipop-of-optimism-but-we-can-do-much-better/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [“When people think about a placebo such as the royal touch, they usually dismiss it as "just psychology." But, there is nothing "just" about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/when-people-think-about-a-placebo-such-as-the-royal-touch-they/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [A placebo is a phony cure that works. This is very hard for the medical profession to get their teeth around because they hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/a-placebo-is-a-phony-cure-that-works-this-is-very-hard-for-the/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [“For people who are depressed, and especially for those who do not receive enough benefit from medication of for whom the side effects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/for-people-who-are-depressed-and-especially-for-those-who-do-not/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [Can placebos cause side effects? If so, are the side effects real?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/can-placebos-cause-side-effects-if-so-are-the-side-effects-real/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-m-addicted-to-placebos-i-could-quit-but-it-wouldn-t-matter/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [There is a major problem with reliance on placebos, like most vitamins and antioxidants. Everyone gets upset about Big Science, Big Pharma, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-is-a-major-problem-with-reliance-on-placebos-like-most-vitamins/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action--no matter what the action is--might help you feel better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-find-placebos-uplifting-and-exhilarating-it-means-that-taking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bearing in mind that homeopathic remedies are generally so diluted that they contain no active remedy, it seems obvious they can be nothing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/bearing-in-mind-that-homeopathic-remedies-are-generally-so-diluted/) [Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/) > [I'm addicted to placebos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-m-addicted-to-placebos/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [“Physicians do not systematically prescribe placebos to their patients. 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Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-h-k-choi/) > [“If your intuitive channel is open but your tuner isn’t dialed to your Higher Self, you may accidentally pick up on that negative energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/if-your-intuitive-channel-is-open-but-your-tuner-isn-t-dialed-to-your/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) [Browse all 65 Anxiety depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-depression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When conventional medicine fails, when we must confront pain and death, of course we are open to other prospects for hope. And, after all, some illnesses are psychogenic. Many can be at least ameliorated by a positive cast of mind. Placebos are dummy drugs, often sugar pills. Drug companies routinely compare the effectiveness of their drugs against placebos given to patients with the same disease who had no way to tell the difference between the drug and the placebo. Placebos can be astonishingly effective, especially for colds, anxiety, depression, pain, and symptoms that are plausibly generated by the mind. Conceivably, endorphins -the small brain proteins with morphine-like effects - can be elicited by belief. A placebo works only if the patient believes it’s an effective medicine. 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