A LITTLE SCIENCE WITH YOUR CAFE, MADAME?

The patient is miserable, depressed, unable to work or cope with daily
chores. Though his pain is chronic, intense and persistent, his family
doctor refuses to prescribe heavy-duty narcotics, afraid they could
prove to be addictive, or open to abuse, sold on the street to anyone
desperate for a cheap fix.

Only what's a physician to do when a drug like oxycodone, a synthetic
opiate which has been dubbed "hillbilly heroin" for its reputation as
the crack cocaine of rural Appalachia, really is the only treatment
that will do the trick?

For Mark Ware, associate medical director of the pain clinic at the
McGill University Health Centre, it's the kind of complex and
provocative question crying out for discussion - by medical
professionals and the people who turn up in their waiting rooms
pleading for relief.

"These are issues we are struggling with," said Ware, whose own
research explores the potential risks and benefits of cannabis use by
patients who suffer from chronic pain. "The concerns of a mother
worrying about possible abuse of the drug by her 15-year-old son may
be very different from those of the sister of a 46-year-old breast
cancer patient suffering the effects of chemotherapy."

Tomorrow night, Montrealers will get a chance to share their thoughts
and concerns at a Cafe Scientifique, an informal gathering where
members of the public can chat with leading researchers in a setting
that is less intimidating than a classroom or a doctor's office.

A twist on the salons of 19th-century Paris, where intellectuals
gathered to ponder life's big questions, cafes scientifiques
resurfaced in Britain and France a decade ago. Rapidly gaining ground
on this side of the Atlantic, they aim to broaden general knowledge of
science and technology by demystifying complex concepts and getting
people talking. Indeed, discussion leaders are cautioned not to hog
the floor, rely on a PowerPoint presentation or do anything else that
might scare - or bore - the civilians in their midst.

The Canadian Institutes for Health Research kicked off its Science on
Tap series last month at the Segafredo Zanetti cafe downtown with a
discussion on infectious disease. This week's session, in partnership
with McGill University, the MUHC, the Montreal Neurological Institute
and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, will focus on how
drugs interact inside our brains, for better or worse. Remi Quirion,
scientific director at the Douglas, will moderate the bilingual
discussion, and Ware will be joined by addiction researchers Alain
Dagher of the MNI and Marco Leyton from the MUHC.

"It's a way to popularize some of the work that researchers are doing,
by taking it from the ivory tower to the streets - or the pub, in this
case," said Ware, who welcomes the opportunity for outreach, and to
hear a multitude of opinions.

Ware said physicians at the pain clinic sometimes have more time than
your average overworked GP to talk with patients and figure out the
right combination of medication and behavioural therapy that will ease
their distress. He's not the least bit worried that audience members
will be shy about speaking their minds. "I've seen people stand up and
describe their pain in graphic detail in a room full of 400 people."

The CIHR Cafe Scientifique's "Drugs: the Good, the Bad and the
Useful" takes place
tomorrow at 6 p.m. at O Patro Vys, 356 Mount Royal Ave. E. (corner
St. Denis St.).
Admission is free.