Advocacy Action Alert from the National Pain Foundation

Advocacy Action Alert: Media

Dear APF Advocates,

In recent days the national media has been covering celebrity Paula Abdul’s struggle with pain and her interview that appears in the June issue of Ladies' Home Journal. In this coverage, inaccurate information has been reported that reinforces stigmas and stereotypes associated with pain and pain treatment. Ladies' Home Journal implies negative connotations associated with prescribed pain medication and uses the term “habit” when discussing Abdul’s use of pain medication. Read article>>

On Monday, May 4th Fox & Friends anchor Gretchen Carlson mentioned her own recent injury and the use of prescription pain medicine. Gretchen stated she is taking pain medication and “has not become addicted so far.” The link is no longer active.

On Wednesday, May 6th CBS Early Show also discussed this topic and Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton inaccurately called pain medications “narcotics” and failed to differentiate between pain medication dependence, tolerance and addiction when she listed the signs of addiction. View>>

TAKE ACTION

APF encourages national media to bring attention to the topic of pain in a responsible and balanced way. We have contacted these media outlets and encourage you to contact Ladies' Home Journal, Fox & Friends and CBS Early Show requesting that their coverage provide balanced and accurate information pertaining to prescription pain medication.

To help in crafting your response, please view pages 27-33 in the Reporter’s Guide: Covering Pain and Its Management. These pages will give you some specific information on opioid use and the correct definitions of addiction, dependence, tolerance and abuse. Click here.

Please include any personal stories on how these perpetual stigmas have affected you or a family member. Keeping in mind that each person's struggle with pain is unique, please respond to the news coverage only, as opposed to commenting on Ms. Abdul’s experience. Remember, our voices will be heard when we stand together.

To submit a comment to Ladies' Home Journal, click here.

To submit a comment to Fox & Friends, send an e-mail to: newsmanager@foxnews.com.

To submit a comment to CBS Early Show, click here.
(Scroll down to the bottom of page and click on the “Contact Us” tab at the bottom of your screen)

We would greatly appreciate it if you let us know if you've taken action. Please feel free to simply cut and paste your message into an email to us at media@painfoundation.org.



My comment to the Ladies Home Journal RE: the Paula Abdul article:

LHJ would do well to study up on the American Pain Foundation's "A Reporter's Guide: Covering Pain and It's Management." They got a lot of things wrong in this article. That's in addition to their overlooking the fact that RSD is a lifetime chronic illness and not something you just get over by leading a balanced life - but maybe that's just Paula Abdul trying to cover up that she has RSD so she can get another job. Anyone who lives with CI knows it's hard to get work once the CI has been disclosed...

The APF says it better than I can. On what LHJ got wrong: "In recent days the national media has been covering celebrity Paula Abdul’s struggle with pain and her interview that appears in the June issue of Ladies' Home Journal. In this coverage, inaccurate information has been reported that reinforces stigmas and stereotypes associated with pain and pain treatment. Ladies' Home Journal implies negative connotations associated with prescribed pain medication and uses the term “habit” when discussing Abdul’s use of pain medication."

I'm personally allergic to all opioid-type meds so I don't keep up with the details of the ongoing legal battles over it, but if I need to know anything I check with the APF.

~~~~~
Sherril Johnson
The Invisible Chronic Illness Experience Blog
http://theiciexperience.blogspot.com


And the comments continue to pour in to the LHJ: five more just since mine was posted.

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