When Pain is Chronic

When Pain is Chronic; Siobhan Reynolds; LTE published 2007-05-13 in response to John Tierney’s “A Taste of His Own Medicine” published 2007-05-06; New York Times. SOURCE

To the Editor:

John Tierney (”A Taste of His Own Medicine,” column, May 6) hits the nail on the head when he suggests that drug war prosecutions, like those of Rush Limbaugh or Richard Paey, are more for show than for actual enforcement purposes.

Unfortunately, these prosecutions also reinforce a medical culture that routinely hardens itself against the anguished pleas of people in serious pain.

An Internet study presented at the annual meeting of the American Pain Society last week in San Antonio, Tex., revealed that while 88 percent of those who visit emergency rooms do so because of out-of-control pain, only 15 percent said they received immediate treatment.
[APS Conf Report: ERs Physicians Give Short Shrift to Out-of-Control Pain; Susman; Medpage Today; 2006-05-15]

If any other segment of our population were being discriminated against in such a damaging way, the outcry would be tremendous. But because of our society’s obsession with rooting out addiction, we look the other way as people in pain are systematically abused by health care professionals.

The drug war, thus understood, is a crime against our most vulnerable population, those in serious, chronic pain.

Siobhan Reynolds
President, Pain Relief Network
New York, May 10, 2006