A ‘Sunny Side’ to Pain?

Re “Rethinking Approaches to Pain Relief” (Oct. 1): I agree that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are potentially dangerous in their potential to cause bleeding ulcers. I will also concede that acute pain after injury is part of the body’s way to rest the affected area.

However, I think it is somewhat simplistic for Dr. James F. Fries to say there is a sunny side to pain.

Is it true that the new approach to treating lower back pain is to do nothing? I disagree. For example, acupuncture has been found to be very useful for this problem. The Medical Acupuncture Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization, is in the planning stages of a clinical study to evaluate acupuncture for acute low back pain. With this type of data, physicians won’t be so quick to sign off their patients with pain problems.

DAVID L. DIEHL, MD.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

UCLA School of Medicine