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ARU188   调查某药品kappa opioids对男女的效用不同，并据此推出应重新评估所有药品对男女的效用
- 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.

The author concludes that kappa opioids (KO) should be prescribed for women not men and all others kinds of medication should be reevaluated too. The whole reasoning is based upon a survey, in which I find crucial flaws and consider it unconvincing.

First, the study only involves 28 men and 20 women, which is too small to represent the overall population. Besides, as the selection procedure is unknown according to the argument, we have every reason to doubt whether the sample is random and able to reflect the general situation. It is entirely possible that this group of women might have a higher-than-average endurance of pain. Or perhaps the women are less prone to complain about the pain-due to their experience with the progress of treating pain.

Second, the argument fails to inform us any information about the other factors concerning the pain suffered by the patients. Maybe the pain suffered by the women is lighter than that by the men. Or perhaps some of the women have been taking other kinds of painkiller to help relieve the pain. It is also likely that some of the men have been supplied with certain foods and medications that counteract the effectiveness of KO. The study would be more persuasive if the experimenters were divided into 4 groups: the same amount of women and men provided with KO as painkiller only, and those without as control groups.

Third, in this study, researchers only observed the effectiveness of KO towards the pain of being extracted the wisdom teeth. But when it comes to the conclusion, the arguer abruptly converted to general pain and all kinds of medication. This is certainly irresponsible. The pain causing by taking the wisdom teeth is only one sort of pain, which can not indicate the other kinds of pain. Also, without comparing KO with other medications, the author's conclusion that we should reevaluate the effects of all medications is too hasty to be credible.

In sum, the primary flaw of the argument is that it is basically founded upon an unreliable survey. To solidify his recommendation, he should assure me that the patients in this study are typical enough to represent the general situation, and make sure the other factors that may affect the pain remain constant. Also we should be aware of the information about other sorts of pain and medications to draw the most accurate conclusion.