Source:Orange County Registercommentarypage,5
Contact:(letters@link.freedom.com)

Headline:Searching for ways to end patients, pain

John Seiler's"The politics of pain"[Commentary,Aug. 17]addressed many
important issues regarding pain management.As a registered nurse working
with hospice patients, I work directly with people whose conditions often
require very large doses of opioid medication to relieve chronic pain.
Unfortunately, as Seiler stated in his article, many people who need relief
are not receiving proper pain treatment.

In many instances, individuals who are terminally ill are not prescribed
adequate dosages due to physicians' fears of investigation by regulatory
agencies, practitioners and patients' confusion regarding the difference
between psychological addiction and physical dependence and social
attitudes about death and dying.

Articles such as Seiler's are helpful because they assist in raising public
consciousness about various roadblocks to pain management. It is vital for
patients and their families to understand that there are a variety of
avenues to take in the journey toward effective pain control. Some
healthcare institutions utilize clinicalpractice guidelines that are
directed to assist healthcare practitioners and patients toward effective
management of pain.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Health Care
Policy and Research produces a variety of pamphlets for healthcare
practitioners and patients that are designed to offer information about
acute and chronic pain relief. The patient guide pamphlets discuss goals of
pain control, the types of treatment available and how to work with
healthcare practitioners in order to obtain the best pain control. These
pamphlets can be ordered free of charge by calling 18003589295.

It is important that we, as a society, become aware of laws that legislate
the use of opioids for pain control and support those laws that will assist
individuals who suffer with pain.

Nancy K. Smith
Los alamitos

John Seiler's article missed the point. The solution to chronic pain is not
using more or stronger drugs. Drugs and surgery mask the symptom of pain,
but ignore its cause. Without rectifying the underlying disease causing
pain, the problem will never be resolved. Excessive drugs, in the long run,
cause more harm than good. The indiscriminate abuse of drugs and surgery is
a main reason that the United States spends more than any nation on health
care and research, but also leads in the prevalence of degenerative diseases.

The solution to chronic pain or degenerative ailments such as hypertension
and diabetes is for health providers to learn to eradicate the root causes
to effect a cure. Without the ability to cure chronic disorders, our
healthcare crisis will never be resolved. Managed care or government
regulation will only aggravate the problem.

For more information, visit web site http://drtong.com or tune in my cable
TV programs Sunday and TUESDAY AT 9:30 p.m. on Cox Channel 31 or Time
Warner Channel 16 on Monday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10 p.m.

YeeWing Tong, M.D.
San Clemente

Dr. Tong is affiliated with Physicians Pain and Rehabilitation Center in
Newport Beach.