I am against all forms of bodily pain, both foreign and domestic. I wish the world were pain free. When I am suffering from even a routine headache, I want immediate relief just like everyone else. The medical approach to pain control has changed dramatically even during my own career. When I started practicing a few decades ago, the strategy was pain reduction. We gave narcotics for very few indications such as kidney stones, heart attacks and severe abdominal pain after a surgeon evaluated the patient. (The reason for this was so the surgeon could obtain an accurate assessment of the patient’s belly before pain medicine masked the findings.) The new goal is pain elimination which I believe is one factor that has fueled the overconsumption of opioids, although there are other factors present. I admit that I am opining on this as an individual who is blessed to be pain free. I do not pretend or suggest that if I were afflicted with a painful condition, that I would not wa
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.