Are Profiteers Continuing to Downplay 'Addiction' to the Medical Profession??

Salem-News.com's Marianne Skolek will be speaking at the FED UP Rally in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 28.

Are Profiteers Continuing to Downplay "Addiction" to the Medical Profession with the words "Chemical Coping?

(MYRTLE BEACH, SC) - In a continuing effort to convince the medical profession that dangerous prescription opioids are not "addictive" by substituting words such as "pseudo-addiction", "tolerance" and "dependent" add the words "chemical coping."

Let's begin with Steven D. Passik, PhD. He is Associate Attending Psychologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the author of "The Chemical Coper" 2009.

Here is the link to Passik's presentation Cached.. Click on the website that pops up for the entire article. A few statements that Passik made about "the chemical coper" are as follows:.

"Probably outnumber frankly addicted patients by 3 to 1 in pain practices."

"Tendency to dabble in abuse. Never rises to level of compulsiveness or out of control that might land them an addiction referral."

I read through the entire article and was struck by the italic comments shown above using unprofessional words such as "probably", "dabble" and "land". Hardly the language used by an Associate Attending Psychologist at a prestigious cancer center such as Memorial Sloan Kettering. In this writing Passik published about his knowledge of addiction and chemical coping, he has the insensitivity and lack of good judgment to place a photo in his presentation of his dog laying on his back and under the photo is written "My Chemically Coping Dog on Opioids." I don't see the humor in this and I certainly question Dr. Passik's professionalism representing Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Scott M. Fishman, MD has written two books influencing the medical profession by downplaying the risks of addiction to prescription opioids - "Responsible Opioid Prescribing A Physician's Guide (2005)" and "Listening to Pain -- A Clinician's Guide to Improving Pain Management Through Better Communication (2012)." In 2005, Fishman was interviewed by Medscape and referred to Passik as follows:

MEDSCAPE: You participated in a debate about the management of breakthrough pain with short-acting opioids. Can you describe some of the key points in that debate?

Dr. Fishman: My learned colleague, Steve Passik, and myself debated over whether we should or shouldn't use short-acting opioids in chronic pain. In general, I think that there is a consensus that when treating chronic pain the idea is to help patients get off the analgesic rollercoaster of having pain, of taking a medicine, of having pain reduced, of the short-acting medicine wearing off, of the patient having pain again, and the cycle renews. We reached a consensus in this debate that using short-acting opioids chronically as the mainstay of opioid analgesia was probably not appropriate, but using small amounts intermittently may be appropriate in some cases. This debate clearly recognizes that there are those who believe that opioid management for chronic pain should only use sustained-release or long-acting opioids, and others who believe that there may be a place for intermittent small amounts of short-acting opioids.

Dr. Fishman referred to Dr. Passik as "my learned colleague" and whether "we" should or shouldn't use short-acting opioids in chronic pain. Dr. Fishman conveniently forgot that Passik as an "Associate Attending Psychologist" cannot prescribe opioids to patients -- he is not a psychiatrist so does not hold the degree of "medical doctor" or M.D.

I recognize that some of the information shown above goes back to 2005, but what does Passik's "chemical coping" breed? It breeds others trying to convince the medical profession of the bogus term -- chemical coping.

I have taken the liberty of highlighting in italics my problem with Egidio Del Fabbro, MD's abstract as shown below:

Assessment and management of chemical coping in patients with cancer.

© 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Del Fabbro and the American Society of Clinical Oncology making reference to chemical copers as relates to cancer patients and their potential referral to substance abuse specialists is unconscionable. The problems with the soaring rate of prescription opioid deaths and addictions resulting in a crisis points directly to chronic non-cancer pain treatment by physicians prescribing painkillers indefinitely to patients resulting in addiction and death.

In the past decade, Drs. Fishman and Passik have successfully bred physicians such as Dr. Del Fabbro to carry the torch downplaying the word "addiction." It's time for the medical profession to extinguish the torch carried by profiteers and recognize the national health crisis we are dealing with in the U.S. and Canada -- it's called the over-prescribing of opioids.

I am honored to be asked to speak at the FED UP Rally in Washington, DC on 9/28/14 along with these knowledgeable professionals addressing the prescription opioid/heroin epidemic crippling the U.S. and Canada. http://feduprally.org/2014-speakers/. For more information on the FED UP Rally, please go to http://feduprally.org/ -- and plan on going to Washington, DC.

LP - Alfalfa and Spinach - I think Popeye got them confused when he flipped the Titanic and needed help from the Fugitive. Love, laughter, faith and peace.

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Salem-News.com Investigative Reporter Marianne Skolek, is an Activist for Victims of OxyContin and Purdue Pharma throughout the United States and Canada. In July 2007, she testified against Purdue Pharma in Federal Court in Virginia at the sentencing of their three CEO's - Michael Friedman, Howard Udell and Paul Goldenheim - who pleaded guilty to charges of marketing OxyContin as less likely to be addictive or abused to physicians and patients. She also testified against Purdue Pharma at a Judiciary Hearing of the U.S. Senate in July 2007. Marianne works with government agencies and private attorneys in having a voice for her daughter Jill, who died in 2002 after being prescribed OxyContin, as well as the voice for scores of victims of OxyContin. She has been involved in her work for the past 8-1/2 years and is currently working on a book that exposes Purdue Pharma for their continued criminal marketing of OxyContin.

Marianne is a nurse having graduated in 1991 as president of her graduating class. She also has a Paralegal certification. Marianne served on a Community Service Board for the Courier News, a Gannet newspaper in NJ writing articles predominantly regarding AIDS patients and their emotional issues. She was awarded a Community Service Award in 1993 by the Hunterdon County, NJ HIV/AIDS Task Force in recognition of and appreciation for the donated time, energy and love in facilitating a Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS.