Argument188

Jamin_CheungUID: 2752925

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: 381
TIME: 00:30:00
DATE: 2010-2-3 23:24:45

The author claims that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women when needed while men shoud take other pain medications and he suggests all medictions be reevaluated on their effects on men versus women. To support his assertion, he cites a report by doctors. Yet close scrutiny will unveil some logical flaws in his evidences.
One logical problem of the writer is that he unfairly assumes that the researches on pain of teeth share the same results with other kinds of pain. There is no evidence that the effect of medications on toothache is the same with that on headache. To make his advice more rational, the author should carry out more studies on the effect of the pain medication on other symptons.
Even if we confine the conclusion in the treatment of toothache, quite a few problems lie in the report cited by the author. To begin with, the number of participants of the study is too small to accurately represent the overall cases. In addition, lacking in detailed information of the patient makes the conclusion unconvincing. For example, the distinct health qualities of the participants perhaps impinge various impact on the feeling of pain. A healtier person would be less sensitive to the pain. Without ruling out the possibilities, it's too hasty for us to reach the conslusion.
Even if I concede the conclusion of the research is acceptable, I doubt that whether the dosage of kappa opioids will influence the effect on people's pain. Maybe with increasing the dosage of pain medication, males will feel less pain the same with females. In this way, there is no need for men to be given other kinds of pain medication.
What's more, it's unsubstantial for the advisor to recommend that all medications should be reevaluated only supported by the result of kappa opioids, one kind of pain medications. It's likely that the different effect between men and women only occurs in the kappa opioids as a special case. More evidences are required to think over the problem.
In sum, the supports to the author's recommedation is not stronge enough. To bolster his advice, he should provide more evidences that the studies on kappa opioids are reliable and representative of other pain medications. And the reevaluation of the effects of all medictions on men versus women remains further discussed.