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Expectations May Influence Side Effects
A recent study done in Germany found that patient expectations of a medication may influence the severity of side effects experienced
In this new study, a group of women taking tamoxifen for breast cancer were observed over a 2 year period. The group of 111 women were asked before starting treatment how severe they expected the side effects to be. The women were then questioned again after 3 months and 24 months of treatment to see how the medication was affecting them.
Doctors found that women who had worse expectations reported an average of 10 symptomatic side effects compared to an average of 6 symptoms reported by women who had less negative expectations. In addition, after 2 years of monitoring, 87% of the women who had less severe expectations were found to have stayed on the medication while only 69% of women continued with treatment who had more severe expectations.
This is another powerful example of how important the mind is in every step of the healing process. Positive imagery and expectations can enhance your body's natural ability to heal as well as decrease the negative effects of medications!
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