I have to disagree there like, from personal experience. I'm signed up with Kidney Research UK and took part in a clinical trial at the RVI held over 9 months. Turns out I was part of the control group and was taking nothing more than a small dose of calcium carbonate every day. My kidney function didn't improve but the joint pain reduced massively, and I wasn't alone in that. The research doctor told me that wasn't unusual and the brain can be tricked into releasing therapeutic chemicals but they don't really understand the fundamentals of how it works.
So, in the middle of the night when my big toe turns tomatoe red, tender to touch and swollen I can mentally induce chemicals that will help get rid of it by thininking I've have medication that doesn't? I'd love it to be true, and convice my body to get better. But the pain I've had said otherwise.
Nope, I think the whole point is we can't consciously do it, but the body is capable of it. I've took part in a couple of clinical research projects now, and perhaps the biggest shock for me is despite how undoubtedly clever the doctors are, we know so little about the human body.