Mind and Muscle and the Supplement Placebo Effect Back during World War II, the medics and hospitals would often run out of painkillers and would give their patients the latest and greatest painkiller, peace of mind.

Soldiers would be shot in the butt with what they thought was morphine. What they weren't told was that their morphine was just a good dose of saltwater. The amazing this is that when injected with this saltwater, the soldier's pain would fade, at least for a short time.

The Placebo Effect The medics weren't exactly tricking the soldiers; they were activating a placebo effect. The placebo effect is basically a series of reactions in the brain that can change its psychological or physiological functioning. Like in the example of the soldiers, they thought they were getting morphine, which they know dulls the pain immediately, but they were given saltwater. The reaction was the same; it cancelled out the pain, at least temporarily. The reason for this is because your brain controls your body, and your mind can subconsciously control your brain.

Building Muscle With The Placebo Effect The placebo effect is used generously in the supplement industry. The fact is, most supplements don't really have any real active ingredients, or don't have very much, that would help you build muscle. Some supplements are like the soldiers' "morphine," it's just a shot of something else that gets carried straight out of the body. Some supplements actually contain some active ingredient, but not enough to really take credit for your muscle growth.

Most muscle gaining hopefuls don't simply walk into a store and purchase any flashy tub of powder they see. They usually make "informed" decisions based upon what they've read in magazines or heard from others. In most cases, when someone starts taking a dietary supplement for the first time, it's a leap of faith. They are using the supplement for one simple reason, because they believe it will work.

The main ingredient in most supplements is belief. When you believe something completely, and you back it with emotion and action, amazing things can happen. Even physiological changes to your body can happen because of your belief or your thoughts. Simply by believing wholeheartedly that your supplement will do what it says, your brain takes it as instructions and will get to work and activate the muscle building mechanisms. It does this because it was instructed to, by your thoughts and belief.

The belief that the supplement will build muscle, with all else staying the same, is enough to spark muscle growth, but the thing is, how many people get on a supplement and do the same things? Stay with me here, the answer is, not very many. Most folks drink "Miracle 2000" and kick their training up a clicks. Most people will improve their training and their nutrition and recovery.

Give Yourself Some Credit If you were to make those improvements to your muscle gaining strategy: training more intensely, eating better, and resting properly, wouldn't you gain muscle anyway, even without the supplement? The answer is a resounding Yes! Too many people get on a supplement and give all credit for improvement to the supplement. Give yourself more credit! You did the work, not the supplement! Chances are, the supplement didn't even do anything, and it was just a placebo. Some supplements are worth taking and do the body some good, but if you don't build the foundation with solid training, nutrition, recovery... the supplements won't do you any good. Now if supplements can't help build muscle with poor training and nutrition, do you think they help with proper training and nutrition? Maybe a little, but it's you getting the results, not the supplement.