The Placebo Effect: Mind Over Matter? How do we know that certain things have the effect that they purport to have? It is possible that many of these effects can be attributed to something called the placebo effect. A placebo effect usually refers to a medical treatment that deceives patients into thinking that the treatment will provide positive results but the medication actually does not have the agents to provide the desired change. For instance, a doctor may recommend a patient to consume a specific brand of sugar pills every morning in order to combat the afflictions associated with mental fatigue. The faith in the doctor is what may actually be producing positive results. The validity of various treatments are confirmed when large groups of people believe that specific medical treatments are effective. As more reports of people getting positive results appear, more people will believe that different treatments will help in curing various afflictions, and it is the reports that make the treatments valid. What causes the positive change in patients? Many people pay money for services or medication that does not have the necessary agents to cause the desired change, but change still occurs. What proof is there for the effectiveness of these interventions? Perhaps it is the person choosing to put faith in a specific intervention that encourages positive change.