National Strategy for Chronic Pain

The biggest misconception about chronic pain, according to Summer Johnson McGee, PhD, is that it's a symptom of another condition and not a disease in its own right.

"There's this notion that pain is to be endured, perhaps even valorized," she says. "I find that unacceptable, given today's medical advances. From a moral perspective, we have a responsibility to ameliorate chronic pain, even if we can't completely eradicate it."

Link: Bioethics expert calls for a national strategy to address chronic pain, KUMC News,
October 25, 2011