Archive for September 2014
Medical marijuana laws may reduce painkiller overdoses
By Saundra Young, CNN updated 3:24 PM EDT, Tue August 26, 2014 (CNN) — States that have legalized marijuana for managing chronic pain have significantly fewer deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses each year, according to a new study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers looked at medical marijuana laws and death certificate data in…
Read MoreNFL players reveal nation’s poor treatment of chronic pain
By DR. LYNN WEBSTER August 26, 2014 4:34PM As America’s most popular sport kicks into high gear, NFL fans will know about, follow closely and fret over player injuries. Yet, even with so much attention, pro football players experiencing some form of chronic pain will say they feel alone and that no one is listening.…
Read MoreDEA Ends Investigation of Pain Doctor
DEA Ends Investigation of Pain Doctor Lynn Webster, MD In 2013, it came to light that three year’s earlier the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had opened an investigation of then-president-elect of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) Lynn Webster, MD, related to overdose deaths at Dr. Webster’s Lifetree Pain Clinic in Salt Lake City.…
Read MoreABC Twitter Chat on Chronic Pain
February 20, 2012 2:04 pm Derek Leave a Comment (Edit) Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 21, 2012, ABC’s Chief Health & Medical Editor, Dr. Richard Besser, will be leading a Twitter Chat on chronic pain. Dr. Lynn Webster (President, LifeSource) will be participating as a representative of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). The chat will…
Read MoreLucky
July 10, 2012 9:17 am Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) My long-time neighbor Larry Coffman sent me this kind note about my son Matt’s response to the death of Larry’s dog 15 years ago. Matt was 6 years old at the time. “It was the week after Lucky died, and I was feeling like I had lost…
Read MorePediatrics and OxyContin
July 12, 2012 11:10 am Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) Purdue Pharma recently announced it is conducting clinical trials on OxyContin in children. Immediately some have criticized, suggesting that the exposure to opioids at an early age will inevitably lead to addiction later in life. The larger issue that was missed is that there…
Read MoreRethinking the Hierarchy
August 3, 2012 11:25 am Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) For a riveting read, see “The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,” by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The book chronicles the history of humankind’s most feared disease, including a multitude of treatment failures. The word cancer conjures a picture of death to many people.…
Read MoreInaugural Post
January 3, 2012 10:57 am Dr. Webster 1 Comment Welcome to my blog! As we start a new year I want express my thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this inaugural blog. The intent of this blog is to be informative and provide you, the reader, insight about timely health care issues. Initially I…
Read MoreWhitney Houston and Drug Overdose-Related Deaths
February 13, 2012 10:44 am Dr. Webster 2 Comments (Edit) I don’t know if we will hear that Whitney’s death is a drug-related death, but based upon her troubled past, it is a possibility. I am not a big music buff or a celebrity follower, but I am touched by the humanity of the tragedy and the sadness within the greatness of…
Read MoreSolutions, Not Blame
April 9, 2012 2:34 pm Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) When tragedy strikes from prescription-drug related harm and a loved one is lost, the devastation remains forever. The desire to blame physicians who treat chronic pain is understandable but cannot solve the problem. Unfortunately, there isn’t one solution, such as restricting the use of opioids to people…
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