As modern medicine discovers more ways of prolonging life, Americans are indeed living longer, but there is a high price for longevity. In the United States, 41% of people die in hospitals and perhaps as many as 40% of Americans die in pain (though some studies suggest that the number in North America is closer to 50%). Pain often leads to and may contribute to a patient’s suffering, especially in those with terminal illnesses. Is modern medical treatment so aggressive, so bent on saving life, that the quality of living (and dying) is compromised? Can medicine offer patients an alternative?