The Nocebo Effect: Negative Words Really Can Harm Your Health

Most people are aware of the placebo effect.  It's when a treatment with no medicinal value results in healing due to the patient's belief, trust, and confidence in that treatment.  Fewer people are familiar with the corresponding nocebo effect, although it's arguably far more important.

The nocebo effect occurs when someone's negative expectations lead to harmful, undesirable, or adverse effects on their health. For example, a patient is told they only have three months to live, and their belief in this as an undeniable and inescapable truth brings it about.

It's important to recognize how powerful the nocebo effect can be.  There are documented cases where a misdiagnosis has caused someone's health to decline rapidly, even to the point of death.  Even though the individual did not have a sever health condition, their belief that they did led to detrimental (and in some cases fatal) outcomes.  We truly need to guard against unwarranted negative beliefs that compromise our health and well-being.  

Here are some areas to watch out for, where the nocebo effect can crop up through negative language and interactions.

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Watch Your Thoughts and Self-Talk

If you're constantly anticipating the worst when it comes to your health, you may actually be leading yourself towards the very outcome you're trying to avoid.  It's one thing to be proactive in taking responsibility for one's health and well-being; this is completely appropriate and highly beneficial.  For instance, if you know certain illnesses tend to run in your family, it makes sense to take practical steps wherever you can to reduce or balance that risk. 
 
What you don't want to do, however, is get into a state of constant worry or anxiety because you're always thinking about what might happen in the future.  That type of ongoing stress can actually weaken your system, making you more vulnerable to health issues in the long term.
 

Watch Your Response to Online Health Content

There are plenty of great online resources available to help you become more informed and manage your health more effectively.  Along with acquiring tips for more healthful living, these resources can alert you to changes and symptoms that should be taken seriously. For instance, following up with a health care provider to address symptoms you're concerned about may result in the early detection of potentially serious issues. 

However, you don't want to get carried away and fall into the trap of assuming you're suffering from every serious illness you read about, just because a symptom sounds vaguely familiar.  Routine issues like stress, a poor night's sleep, an argument with a loved one, a meal that disagrees with you, or simply having an off day can all leave us feeling unwell for a brief period of time, even when we're perfectly healthy.

Watch Your Communication With Friends and Family

If you have a friend or family member who loves to rush in with a dire diagnosis whenever you have a minor health complaint, beware! 

We all have good and bad days, and any number of things can leave us feeling a little off kilter from time to time.  It's reasonable that a sudden or dramatic change in your health would warrant further attention.  But constantly being nudged and prodded into a panic over minor ailments isn't constructive; and it can lead to a state of mind that actually worsens your health.


Watch Your Communication With Health Care Providers

Wherever possible, seek out health care providers that are supportive in their approach.  Negative feedback like, "You'll never recover from this," or "You'll never be able to get off this medication," can have a huge impact on the mental state of the patient.  With such an air of finality, such comments can make it difficult to retain a sense of hope, and very difficult to entertain the possibility of an alternative outcome. 
 
Obviously a health care provider needs to be clear and factual in addressing any health issues you may have.  However, there's a limit to what they can ascertain definitively.  It's important to remember that while your inner wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of your own body might not equate to medical knowledge, it should never be discounted.  Your familiarity with and intuitive understanding of your body has a valuable place alongside medical tests and expert opinions.

Furthermore, you should never be discouraged from investing in your own healing; and no-one ever has a right to take away your hope.  
 

Mind Over Matter Runs Both Ways

The concept of mind over matter runs both ways, with the ability to have both positive and negative consequences.  When it comes to our health, the need to be mindful of both our self-talk, as well as our interactions with others, cannot be overstated.  It really can mean the difference between health and healing vs. ill health and harmful outcomes.

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