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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Fire took home from mom and her boys ... New bridge would connect east, west Nevada Street in Ashland ... Developer eyes Oregon Boy Scouts property on coast for golf course ... Fire took home from mom and her boys ... New bridge would connect east, west Nevada Street in Ashland ... Developer eyes Oregon Boy Scouts property on coast for golf course ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Opioids are still vital for pain relief Comment By Donald S. Moore MailTribune.com By Donald S. Moore Posted Nov. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Donald S. Moore Posted Nov. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News I am a retired physician now living in Oregon, but I was a practicing physician in California for almost 50 years and a professor of medicine at University of Southern California Medical School for internal medicine for almost 40 years. I wish to strongly disagree with your editorial on medical care published Friday, Nov. 13. For many years, doctors felt their primary role was to keep people alive, but as life spans expanded, an increasing number of physicians realized their role was also to see that these elderly patients were kept comfortable and as free of pain as possible. Oregon has been the lead state to enact a Right to Die law, and many other states are looking at and are likely to pass similar laws to further empower people to control their own fate. I strongly disagree with Dr. Jim Shames of the Jackson County Health Department that doctors have shifted to the common practice of over-prescribing pain pills. In my experience only a very few doctors over-prescribe, since in almost all states this is very carefully monitored and the very few doctors who do this are at great risk of losing their medical licenses. You state that new research indicates opioids are primarily good only for temporary and acute pain and are only 30 percent effective for long-term chronic pain. This is diametrically opposed to my own experience. I do not believe that combinations of ibuprofen and acetaminophen can actually be more effective than the opioids we currently use. Yes, some people near the end of their life may become addicted, but is this bad if they are kept comfortable? You state that the good news is that pain research is coming up with new devices that stimulate the spinal cord or use currents to destroy nerve tissue and I certainly want to see this kind of research continue. But I believe this approach may offer value to only a small minority of patients. Also, many of these procedures remain highly controversial as well as very expensive at a time when most physicians are trying to reduce medical costs until we can find a more economical alternative to Obamacare, such as the single-payer system, which works so well in Canada to reduce costs and still deliver very high quality medical care for everyone. It is for these reasons that I strongly believe the relief of chronic, severe pain will continue using both oral and injectable opiates at least for the immediate future. Thus I strongly dissent from the conclusions of your editorial board. Donald S. Moore, M.D., lives in Talent. By Donald S. Moore MailTribune.com By Donald S. Moore Posted Nov. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501