Better think positive: Pessimism can block therapy - Yahoo! News
Spine surgeon Anders Cohen puts a lot of stock in patients' expectations of pain relief. He prefers to operate only on those who "grab you by the collar and say, `I can't take it anymore.'"
New brain research proves doctors like Cohen are onto something: Pessimism can override the effectiveness of even powerful treatments.
You've heard of the placebo effect, the healing power of positive belief. This is the "nocebo" effect, the flip side, almost its evil twin.
And while the self-fulfilling prophecy of negative thinking isn't nearly as well studied, some scientists say it's time for doctors to start paying a lot more attention to their patients' outlook.
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