This diary goes to the "david78209" diary just posted, to add to the problematic situation of making it harder to be treated for pain.
My issue with this is the action the government want to take.
Here- New York Times
Force Doctors to take "classes" and make it more difficult for them to prescribe pain medications.
Breast Implants have been around since the late 1800's but in the 1960's I believe they began using them for enhancement of the female body along with cheek implants and rear implants and other types of body sculpting. I am all for enhancement and the joy that brings. When medicine advances and people are prettier, I say great! I would like to see some of that knowledge used to fix the spinal discs.
I seriously wonder if "medicine" had decided to make "spinal discs" since then, if we would be able to go to a doctor today and have a "spinal disc" replaced. It would take care of many maladies related to disc disease and pain. I know it is not as glamorous as a 100 lb woman with CCC bra size and surely does not feed the demand of most people to enhance the body, but it could get millions off pain medications.
As people crunch and break their bodies in their youth, they pay in later years. I would like to be able to go to a Spinal doctor and say, replace my L4 and L5 with new ones and leave feeling great. Walking when you couldn't and moving when you couldn't. Leave the hospital new. No pain medications needed.
Until research produces Spinal Discs for replacement and the capability to repair Neurons, leave the Pain Management Doctors ALONE!!!
Start working on disc creation and neuron repair today and pace the advancement of that research with the administration of the medications for pain. Any other way is to cause suffering to those that need their medicine.