In 1931, the French physician and medical missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer wrote, "Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself."  In its acute stage, pain is a teacher, a harbinger of danger.  Without acute pain, a child would not learn to never place his hand on a hot kettle, and the grown up with chest pain would not seek medical attention for a heart attack.

Acute pain is therefore useful.  Chronic pain is not.  Sometimes, pain persists beyond the of the disease or injury about which the acute pain heralded.  Constant, mind-numbing, energy sapping and soul destroying, I've see chronic pain ruin marriages and lives. 

This week, we dip into the archives to bring you our show from last season on chronic pain.  It features an interview with Dr. Pam Squire, a pain physician from BC who treat patients with severe forms of chronic pain.  I also speak with Dr. Doug Gourlay, an expert in pain and in addiction; he talks about the dilemma of treating the patient with severe pain with powerful narcotics that carry the risk of addiction.

Click below to listen to the show.  And let us know what you think by commenting on this blog or by emailing us at whitecoat@cbc.ca.

Reminder:  our live townhall is on Tuesday October 12 from 7 to 830 pm at Glenn Gould studio at the CBC Broadcasting Centre.  Doors open at 630 pm and seating is first come first seated.  

Click here for more townhall details.