I just read a very interesting article online by Winston Parris, MD, DABPM, who is Professor of Anesthesia and Chief of the Pain Programs at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.  He was also a founding member and served as President of the American College of Pain Medicine, the American Board of Pain Medicine and the Tennessee Pain Society.

The title of his article was “Challenges and Issues in Pain Management and Anesthesiology.”  I’m going to post some excerpts below but if you want to read the entire article please Click Here.

Pain management is about three decades old, and while significant strides have been made in understanding pain mechanisms, implementing new pain therapies and effectively treating more patients, there are still many obstacles to overcome and various nuances to navigate in order to become the mature medical discipline that it is destined to be…

The swinging of the opioid pendulum from a period of under-use to inappropriate use is occurring and the concept of drug diversion is now a reality. This situation has produced unpleasant interphases between providers and patients who occasionally make inappropriate and aggressive demands for opioids. While this unfortunate development should in no way hinder the effective use of opioids for acute and chronic pain, the prescribing physician has to remain vigilant and perceptive to those nuances that are associated with opioid prescribing and their clinical implications.

In short, the assessment and effective management of pain is a patient right that should be preserved but the support of illicit drug use for whatever purpose should not be facilitated under the guise of pain management. There are a handful of naïve, and an even smaller number of corrupt, physicians who have paid dearly for not recognizing that difference. Like most issues in medicine, there are several grey areas and it is hoped that with adequate clinical experience, sound educational knowledge and good common sense, most of these pitfalls may be avoided most of the time…

To learn more about risk factors with opiate use please go to our News & Research page to review two new postings this month on addiction risks and increasing prescription drug problems.

If you want to read more about prescription drug abuse/addiction please go to my latest article Addressing the Problem of Prescription Drug Abuse/Addiction that you can download for free on our Ariticles page.

If you want to learn more about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System please check out our website at www.addiction-free.com. To learn more about how to develop an effective chronic pain management plan please go to our Publications page and check out my book the Addiction-Free Pain Management® Recovery Guide: Managing Pain and Medication in Recovery. To look for my upcoming trainings please go to our Calendar page.

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