More Resources: Easing The Pain

There's new hope for people suffering from chronic pain, and that's the focus of our new series, "Easing the Pain." For the first installment, CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook examined a way to cut pain without using medication - instead, it employs an ancient technique: applying electricity.

For the second, LaPook took a close look at a pharmaceutical innovation - prescription pain medication that's resistant to abuse.

And Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports for the final piece in the series that much is unknown about how babies feel pain. And some doctors disagree about it. How can infant suffering be measured and treated?

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Chronic pain affects millions of Americans, and can severely affect one's quality of life. Pain is something that should be discussed with a health-care provider - regardless of whether it is mild and persistent or sharp and severe.

The CBS News series, "Easing the Pain" explored new treatments of and ideas about chronic pain.

Certain prescription medications that treat pain are known to be addictive. Addiction is differently defined than abuse, and also different from physical dependence or tolerance. According to WebMD: In cases of physical dependence, withdrawal symptoms occur when a substance suddenly is stopped. Tolerance occurs when the initial dose of a substance loses its effectiveness over time. Addiction and physical dependence often occur together.

Opioids, including codeine, oxycodone and morphoine, can be addictive. To see a list and learn more, click here.

Alternative and integrative treatments for severe pain are becoming more popular. According to the DPMPC, Today's healthcare services must philosophically, practically, and comfortably integrate a variety of complementary and alternative therapeutic approaches with conventional medical care. Learn more here.

See a list of WebMD's pain management questions and answers here.

To visit the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center, go to StopPain.org or visit the department's chronic pain Web site.

Check out the Cleveland Clinic's pain management Web site or read the Pain Management Newsletter.