indeed, the biggest obstacle to establishing the spinal cord's role in placebo pain relief was measuring its activity with fMRI scanning, says Falk Eippert, a neuroscientist at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, who led the study.

FMRI scanning has long been used to image the brain, but the part of the spinal cord that Eippert's team was interested in – the dorsal horn – is minuscule in comparison, and so is harder to image. It also swims around in cerebrospinal fluid, further complicating real-time measurement.

I find the placebo effect extremely fascinating, it is a terrific example of how powerful the mind is over the body.

Hope the move is going well.

Thank you Lisa, as to going well .... tis a bit much to expect that, but overall methinks we shall live through it.

Especially because we love it here by the sea