A CASE OF BIAS OR DISINFORMATION?

In the Feb. 3, 2004, edition of the Medical Post ("Your bias may be
keeping pot from pain patients"), the matter of bias was raised by Dr.
Romayne Gallagher, a professor at the University of British Columbia, who
said, "A lot of chronic patients feel subconsciously bad about taking pain
medication . . . reinforced by physician bias."

A good example of such bias might be found in your Feb. 10 issue
("Narcotics still given to heavy drinkers for pain"), in which Dr. Andrew
Haig, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University
of Michigan, claimed doctors who prescribe narcotics for patients who
consume alcohol are not following their own rules, i.e. "prescribing fewer
narcotics to heavy drinkers."

He goes on to say narcotics combined with alcohol can cause liver damage.
Would any such damage in fact not be more likely attributable to the
effects of acetaminophen, taken in excess, as in when access to codeine or
morphine has been restricted?

While Dr. Gallagher seems to address her patients' needs for effective
analgesics, Dr. Haig would appear to be more concerned about his patients'
use of narcotics than about finding more effective measures for relieving
their discomfort.

Considering the popular concept of drug-related crime, or drug-related
liver disease, might it not be, contrary to common opinion, more likely a
case of drug prohibition leading to much of the damage, internal or otherwise?

In situations such as these, one wonders whether the old word "bias" can
sometimes sadly but accurately be replaced with the modern word
"disinformation."

Dr. W. D. Panton, Burnaby, B.C., retired.