I have decided I definitely don't believe in homeopathy.
I tried it, and it didn't work.
It got me thinking though - a lot of people claim that it works on them, and a lot of what I read indicates that homeopathy works through the placebo effect - the belief in your cure actually cures you. So, is there a way that we, rational minds, can ever enjoy the wonders of placebo, too? Or, are we confined to our own vicious circle of rationalism?
If it takes a positive effect to make me believe the effectiveness of a substance, how can a placebo ever have a chance? Should I try to make myself more open-minded? Or less inquisitive? Or is there another way...
Maybe, I can try to be better in may rationalism, and think like this: the effectiveness of placebo with so many other people proves that our physical status can be improved by positive thinking - so, instead of swallowing some sugary pill (which won't work, because I expect it not to work) maybe I can find some other way of eliciting positive thoughts.
Will I feel better tomorrow, just because I
believe I would?
And is it possible to create your own, personal medicine this way? Be your own surgeon?
Of course, traditional medicine has been doing this for ages, but if someone (like me) doesn't believe in traditional medicine, that, kind of, defeats the point. So should I try to discover my own "traditional medicine"? In the old ages people believed the healers. I don't. But if I skip the phony pill part, and go straight to positive thinking, will that do the trick?