TOPIC: ARGUMENT188 - A new report suggests that men and women experience pain very differently from one another, and that doctors should consider these differences when prescribing pain medications. When researchers administered the same dosage of kappa opioids-a painkiller-to 28 men and 20 women who were having their wisdom teeth extracted, the women reported feeling much less pain than the men, and the easing of pain lasted considerably longer in women. This research suggests that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medication is required, whereas men should be given other kinds of pain medication. In addition, researchers should reevaluate the effects of all medications on men versus women.
WORDS: 494
TIME: 00:50:00
DATE: 2010-07-15 17:39:31
The author suggests that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medication is required while men should be given other kinds. The argument suffers from several logical flaws and is therefore unconvincing.
The threshhold problem with the reason of the argument is the research to support it. Firstly, it invlovels only 28 men and 20 women, the data they acquire is not representive and persuasive because of the tiny amount of data.
It is impossible to draw any general conclusion from such group of instances. Secondly, the pain that they suffers in the procedure of having their wisdom teeth extracted is only one kind of pain, we cannot know how it works to other kind of pain without further study.
Even if we can substantiate the foregoing assumption that we can generalize a general conclusion, the cited is not enough to attest kappa opioids has a better healing effect to women than men, since the author provides not enough reports from men. There is a report suggests that men and women experience pain very differently from another, and on possible difference is the judgment of pain. That is to say even if women reported feeling much less pain and longer easing of pain than men, we can still not make a determination about whether the medication has better effect on women than men.
Furthermore, let's assume that the premise the author taken is acceptable, but not evidences prove that the kappa opioids is not applicable whenever pain medication is required. Without accounting possible side effects of this medication when used to heal pains other than pains like having teeth extracted, it is too eager to make such kind of judgment. What's more, it is common sense that long-term drug using always do harm to one's health. So the recommendation needs further study to make it convincing in the sense that the medication is safe and effective. If taken to easing other kinds of pain, the medication may give better performances, we should not completely prevent the use of this medication to men.
On the other side, the author ignores the possible existence of better medications. Since there are so many pharmaceutical manufacturers, and with the rapid development of technologies, new and better and may be cheaper medication and other methods of alleviating and curing pains emerges all the time, without comparative trials, we should not recommend kappa opioids as the best medication.
At the same time, the author’s suggestion that he effects of all medications on men versus women should be reevaluate lacks acceptable grounds. Even assume that kappa opioids has different impacts on women and men, that is not rely on the differences between men and women and not all medications have that kind of performance.
In summary, the cited research is not good enough to support the argument, and the author draws a conclusion without enough evidence and accounting other possibilities. All of this make the argument unconvincing and unreasonable.