In a follow-up to an earler article discussed here, the National Pain Foundation recently published an interview with Dr. Schneider, MD, PhD, the previous article's author. In this newest article, she explains more fully the nature of addiction, tolerance and dependence. It is a topic that many physicians do not really understand. For those who care for those in chronic pain or those facing the end of life, this interview can help clear up a lot of questions.

Those of us who work with the chronically and terminally ill find ourselves constantly struggling to clarify confusion about pain medication. It is felt by many that opioids, such as morphine, should be avoided, at best, and are the crutches of druggies at worst. Enter this excellent article that describes four myths concerning the use of opioids.