A medical student says pheromones are placebo and snake oil: is he right?

First of all I am not qualified to say whether pheromones work or not. I can only go by what I have read. However I was chatting to a medical student who laughed at me when I told him about pheromones.

His argument is that humans had lost the mechanism to process pheromones when we evolved into living in societies. This is rather perplexing coming from someone who has a good knowledge of human physiology.

He went onto say that those pheromones that are sold online are a complete scam. If their are any effects its because its placebo.

Again I am not sure what to believe. If this is true then I have wasted alot of money on products that he believes are nothing but snake oil.

Can someone shed some light on this ?

Thanks

Hi ,

I am a medical doctor , working in India.
There are already many post on this, and has been answered/reviewed/shared results , everything has been already done.
What i would suggest use the search button and start.

As you said you already wasted your money on this!!. my answer is ok , let the products comes to you, give a try to instant line products , if you feel not working , simple request for your full money back . done.

I can understand, what are you thinking/feeling . Actually most of us started like like only :slight_smile:

Just to help you in searching : read this . http://www.pheromonetalk.com/does-stuff-really-work-simply-just-33438.html

I took the scholar approach and used google scholar:

“Our results show that the VNO is a functional organ in adult humans having receptor sites for human putative pheromones.”
Effect of putative pheromones on the electrical activity of the human vomeronasal organ and olfactory epithelium

“Several studies indicate that humans indeed seem to use olfactory communication and are even able to produce and perceive certain pheromones; recent studies have found that pheromones may play an important role in the behavioural and reproduction biology of humans.”
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301211504004749

“Both men and women observers were able to discriminate between two women, two men, and a man and a woman, on the basis of olfactory cues from the hand. The accuracy of female observers was improved when the two stimulus individuals were genetically unrelated, and when they were on different diets.”
Individual discrimination of humans by odor

“The concentration of androstenol produced by secretion donors varied during the collection period. Males appear to produce more androstenol at certain times; women’s secretions show a menstrual variation in androstenol; the highest concentrations of this compound appear to be produced in the midfollicular phase, prior to ovulation.”
Human axillary extracts: Analysis of compounds from samples which influence menstrual timing - Springer

“These data demonstrate, for the first time, the existence of a functional vomeronasal-pituitary pathway in adult humans. In addition to the effect on gonadotropin pulsatility, the vomeropherin also produces concurrent reflex autonomic effects after VNO stimulation. These included decreased respiratory frequency, increased cardiac frequency, and event-related changes of electrodermal activity and EEG pattern. Therefore, this investigation also provides evidence for functional connections between the VNO and a variety of hypothalamic areas in adult humans.”
The functionality of the human vomeronasal organ (VNO): Evidence for steroid receptors

Wow great post. I dont know who started nomination but i am glad they did and you have my vote.

Same here.

Hi , I started it after reading it full. I thought it really deserves .

Great job and awesome find man. I am really glad to see others nominating posts to when they find a good one