Collision of Religion and Pain Treatment
Richard Randolph, PhD
March 25, 2011
The medical ethics of treating pain sometimes collides with religion.
Dr. Richard Randolph explains in this edition of the Bioethics Channel. Dr. Randolph is associate professor of bioethics at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.
Podcast: Collision of Religion and Pain Treatment, Dr. Richard Randolph, The Bioethics Channel, March 25
Labels: pain policy; medical ethics; religion and pain policy
posted by Practical Bioethics at
7:13 AM
3 Comments:
Helen Keller wrote its a terrible thing to see without vision-and perhaps what is even more of a barrierto improving pain care in the U.S. then lack of education is lack of a guiding vision for the sake of people in pain -and those who depend and care about them. Our focus is on techne and though some in medicine may chose to "hear the cry of suffering organs" they often refuse to hear the cries of the persons who happened to be attached to those suffering organs. And people in pain are perishing due to the lack of vision in American society for their suffering.
Though many focus on opioids as pain care- we know well the great limitations of opioids as they arent used to "cure" pain but to treat pain as an idiosyncratic sensation-and often the use of opioids obscures a vision of healing and caring for people in pain. As Dr Fishman has indicated in Inside Chronic Pain-people in pain dont want to just feel better-they want to be better. Let us not give in to our herd instinct for the latest craze in pain care -"pain management"- for that represents a faint vision of what may be possible for people in pain. I cant speak for others, of course, but i , for one "have a dream" for people in pain and its much more then the focus on techne in pain care today.
While many feel there is some spirtually redeeming value in tolerating untreatalbe pain, there is a mandate from most religions to relieve suffering. Therefore, there is no obligation to suffer. Tolerating pain that can not be treated and not becoming angry with God does not preclude seeking relief.
I dont believe there is any untreatable pain. I dont believe there is intractable pain. I dont believe people will sometimes just have to learn to live with their pain. I believe with God, all things are possible. And I have faith all pain can be healed.
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