IT - practice test 5 - Bui Nhung

In the sets of material, both the reading and listening focus on the placebo effect whether or not having influence on our health but the listening casts doubt on the reading at some points.

At the first point, the writer says that without placebos, immune system in our body can cure some diseases. However, the lecturer has a different opinion. He claims that most illnesses need to have a particular treatment which is prescribed by doctors and we can ourselves overcome these diseases. On the other hand, most doctors give patients a real physical treatment or just a false one like a sugar pill. That person strongly believe that these prescription make physical effect on their disease.

Secondly, in the reading, placebos are considered that they do not have real impact so they can not make physical change. But the speaker totally opposes that argument based on some studies. These studies show that placebos have real effect and create physical impact through the change of symptom of some illnesses. Even placebos are used as a trick to make psychological feeling. According to some researches, participants joining in these experiments had took placebos, 30 to 60 % of them have demonstrated physical change. They also found that during the period of treatment by placebos, there are some change in our brain which is related to physical recovery.

Lastly, with regarding to impacts of diet and exercise... the reading claims that these solutions is more effective than placebos. On the contrary, the professor points out that dieting or doing exercise just improves our health. They can kill bacteria or prevent some disease even ailments. But while placebos could help us to crack down on some illnesses like colds or attacks of bacteria. Furthermore, in some situations, physical activities could cause stress on us and make reverse effects.