Big Ideas

These six ideas represent the core themes of my work and advocacy, highlighting the urgent need for compassion, science-based policies, and reform in pain and addiction medicine.

Chronic Pain Deserves the Same Compassion as Other Medical Conditions

Chronic pain is a legitimate medical condition that should be treated with the same urgency and respect as cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. Current policies often neglect the suffering of people in pain, leading to unnecessary hardship.

Forced Tapering and Opioid Restrictions Have Harmed Patients

The misapplication of the CDC opioid guidelines and arbitrary morphine milligram equivalent (MME) thresholds has led to widespread suffering, increased suicides, and a rise in illicit drug use among pain patients abandoned by the healthcare system.

Today’s Opioid Crisis Is Driven by Illicit Fentanyl—Not Prescription Opioids

While policymakers have focused on restricting prescription opioids, the real crisis is fueled by illicit fentanyl and synthetic opioids. Efforts to curb prescriptions have not reduced overdose deaths but have instead pushed people toward more dangerous alternatives.

Punishing Doctors Won’t Solve the Opioid Crisis

The DEA and DOJ have weaponized medical guidelines to prosecute doctors for prescribing opioids, even when their treatment decisions were made in good faith. This has led to physicians’ fear, fewer doctors willing to treat pain, and a humanitarian crisis for chronic pain patients.

Harm Reduction Is an Evidence-Based Solution, but Political and Legal Barriers Must Be Addressed

Harm reduction strategies—such as syringe exchange programs, supervised consumption sites, and medication-assisted treatment (MAT)—are proven to reduce overdose deaths and disease transmission. However, legal and political resistance continues to hinder their implementation, leaving vulnerable populations without essential care. This is a prime example of where neither compassion nor science currently informs policies or medical practice.

We Must Change the Public Narrative Around Pain and Addiction

The media and policymakers have oversimplified both the opioid crisis and chronic pain, leading to flawed policies. The public needs to understand that pain treatment and addiction policy are deeply interconnected—and that a balanced, patient-centered approach is crucial for both.

Compassion and Science: How They Should Work Together

“Let Compassion Lead the Way, But Allow Science to Light the Way.” TM

Compassion and science are often seen as opposing forces in medicine and public policy—one driven by emotion, the other by data. However, when it comes to chronic pain and addiction, both must work in harmony to create ethical, effective, and patient-centered solutions.

Compassion leads the way by ensuring that patients suffering from pain or addiction are heard, understood, and treated with dignity. Too often, people in pain or struggling with substance use disorders are dismissed, stigmatized, or abandoned by the healthcare system, because their conditions are invisible or politically controversial. Compassion reminds us that pain is real, addiction is real, suffering is personal, and every patient deserves a chance to live a fulfilling life without unnecessary barriers to care.

At the same time, science must light the way by providing evidence-based solutions to complex problems. Misguided policies, like opioid prescribing restrictions and forced tapers, have harmed patients, because they were driven by fear and politics rather than by scientific evidence. Science tells us that:

  • Not all patients respond to pain treatments the same way—a one-size-fits-all approach is harmful.
  • Opioid addiction is not simply a result of prescribing—most overdoses today stem from illicit fentanyl, not prescribed medication.
  • Addiction is a disease, not a moral failing—and should be treated with evidence-based strategies rather than criminalization.
  • Forcing doctors to follow rigid guidelines instead of allowing them to practice individualized medicine leads to patient suffering.
  • Harm reduction is a proven, evidence-based approach to reducing overdose deaths, yet political and legal barriers continue to hinder its implementation.

When compassion and science work together, we can create policies and treatments that are both humane and effective.

  • Compassion alone without science can lead to well-intended but ineffective or even harmful policies, such as emotional reactions that result in overly restrictive pain management policies that hurt patients.
  • Science alone without compassion can lead to cold, bureaucratic decision-making that ignores human suffering, such as rigid opioid policies that fail to account for the diverse needs of real patients.

The balance between compassion and science ensures that pain patients receive care without stigma, addiction is treated as a medical condition rather than a crime, and policies are grounded in evidence rather than fear.

Things You Should Know

Pain Management and Opioids

  • The Opioid Crisis Is More Complex Than Overprescribing – The dominant narrative blaming doctors and pharmaceutical companies oversimplifies a multifaceted crisis involving policy, economics, illicit drug markets, and untreated pain.
  • Chronic Pain Deserves the Same Compassion as Other Medical Conditions – Pain is an invisible, yet life-altering condition that should be treated with the same urgency and respect as diseases like cancer or diabetes.
  • Forced Tapering Can Cause Harm – Government-mandated reductions in opioid prescriptions, without individualized patient care, have led to unnecessary suffering, increased suicides, and the rise of illicit drug use.
  • Opioids Are Not Inherently Evil—It’s How They’re Used That Matters – While opioids have risks, they remain a necessary option for many chronic pain patients when prescribed and monitored appropriately.
  • The CDC Guidelines Were Misapplied – Originally intended as guidance, the CDC's opioid prescribing guidelines were weaponized by insurers, law enforcement, and policymakers, leading to unintended harm for pain patients.
  • Pain Management Needs a Multimodal Approach – No single treatment—opioids, surgery, or physical therapy—works for everyone. Pain care must be comprehensive, individualized, and patient-centered.

Addiction and Public Policy

  • Punishing Doctors Won’t Solve the Opioid Crisis – Physicians who appropriately prescribe opioids for pain should not be criminalized, yet many have been unfairly targeted under the Controlled Substances Act.
  • Addiction Is a Brain Disease, Not a Moral Failing – Stigmatizing addiction as a personal weakness prevents people from seeking treatment and receiving the medical care they need.
  • The War on Drugs Has Failed – Criminalizing drug use has done little to curb addiction and has instead led to mass incarceration, economic devastation, and increased harm to individuals and communities.
  • Harm Reduction Saves Lives, but Political and Legal Barriers Persist – Harm reduction strategies (such as syringe exchanges and naloxone distribution) are proven to reduce deaths, but ideological opposition continues to block progress.
  • Substance Use Disorders Require Treatment, Not Punishment – Effective addiction treatment should include harm reduction strategies, medication-assisted therapy (MAT), and mental health support.

Medical Ethics and Healthcare Reform

  • We Need a Balanced Approach to Opioids – Pain patients should not have to suffer because of broad, restrictive policies aimed at curbing opioid misuse.
  • The Patient-Doctor Relationship Is Under Threat – Government overreach and insurance restrictions are interfering with physicians' ability to provide individualized care.
  • Physician Fear Is Causing a Crisis in Pain Management – Many doctors have stopped prescribing opioids due to fear of DEA investigations, leaving pain patients without options.

The Future of Pain and Addiction Medicine

  • We Need More Research on Pain and Addiction – There is still much to learn about chronic pain, opioid efficacy, alternative treatments, and addiction risk factors.
  • Alternative Treatments Must Be More Accessible – Non-opioid pain management options, including interventional procedures, physical therapy, and cannabinoids, should be covered by insurance.
  • We Must Change the Public Narrative Around Pain and Addiction – The media and policymakers have oversimplified both issues, leading to harmful policies and misinformation.

A Call to Action

We must reshape the public narrative around chronic pain and addiction to reflect this balance. The future of medicine must be guided by data, not dogma—but it must also be rooted in kindness and understanding.

Only when we let compassion lead us forward, while allowing science to light the way, can we create a system that both heals and protects those who need it most.