Over 100 million Americans suffer chronic pain, and persistent pain often causes functional impairment and disability, psychological distress (anxiety, depression), and sleep deprivation. Almost 80 percent of chronic pain patients report that pain disrupts their activities of daily living, and two-thirds indicate that pain has negatively impacted personal relationships.
Pain is the most common cause of long-term disability, with lost work days in the United States estimated at more than 50 million days per year. The annual cost of untreated or undertreated pain to taxpayers and employers has been calculated at over $100 billion per year, in direct and indirect expenses.
The use and misuse of opioids for management of chronic pain is a major concern, with problems arising from their multiple adverse side effects including drug dependency, from drug diversion, and from under-treatment of chronic pain symptoms for fear of narcotic abuse. Chronic pain is thus a major medical and social issue.
HOST:Â Dr. Thad Woodard
GUESTS:
- Dr. Andrea Trescot, pain management specialist, director, Pain and Headache Centers, Alaska
LINKS:
- Dr. Trescot’s bio at the Pain and Headache Centers
- Video of Dr. Trescot speaking on opioid therapy side effects
- American Chronic Pain Association
PARTICIPATE:
- Call 550-8433 (Anchorage) or 1-888-353-5752  (statewide) during the live broadcast (2:00 – 3:00pm)
- Send email to lineone@alaskapublic.org before, during or after the live broadcast (e-mails may be read on air)
- Post your comment or question below (comments may be read on air)
LIVE BROADCAST: Monday, September 14, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. AKDT
REPEAT BROADCAST:  Monday, September 14, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. AKDT
DR. WOODARD’S FAVORITE HEALTH AND SCIENCE LINKS:
- Cleveland Clinic
- Mayo Clinic
- MedlinePlus
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- HealthyChildren.org
- American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
- American College of Allergy,  Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI)
- Science Based Medicine
- Quackwatch
- Super Smart Health
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