Pat Irving is a nurse.

The truth about opioid analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Conditions
March 28, 2026

We live in a nation of needless pain! According to CDC data from 2021, over 50 million Americans (21 percent of adults) experienced chronic pain that persisted for more than three months. Among these, approximately 17 to 21 million U.S. adults currently experience persistent, high-impact pain on most days: pain that severely limits daily life or work activities.

Increasing numbers of these patients are being denied pain relief …

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The truth about opioid analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

5 questions in mental health counseling – and life

Conditions
October 26, 2024

Dedicated to my friend and colleague Pat Irving to whom I first told the story.

I’m 80 years old and I’ve been writing for over 60 years—first in systems engineering, later in advanced technology, and more recently in public health policy for the regulation of pain medicine. At this stage of my life, some of my writing is introspective, in an attempt to extract and share “lessons learned” with others. Thus, …

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5 questions in mental health counseling – and life