Archive for July 2016
Is Suboxone the New Kleenex®?
Confusion About Suboxone There is an interesting recent article in MEDPAGE TODAY titled “Suboxone Underused, Opioids Overused in Medicine.” To me, that is an oxymoron. As I’ll explain, the title does make sense if you’re trying to communicate to the lay public, but it is an ambiguous and seemingly contradictory statement. Since there’s already way…
Read MoreMost Opioid Addictions Start In Teen Years: What you Need to Know
Ninety Percent of All Drug Addictions Start in the Teens “Ninety percent of all drug addictions start in the teens — and 75 percent of prescription opioid misuse begins when (mainly young) people get pills from friends, family or dealers — not doctors. Opioids are rarely the first drug people misuse.” This is an incredibly…
Read MoreThis is the Reason Heroin Addiction Requires Critical Analysis
President Obama stands ready to sign the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). This bill will make available more treatments for opioid addiction and is intended to deter inappropriate prescribing of prescription opioids. As a recent Washington Post article points out, critics of CARA fear that this legislation could “cause prescription opioid users to switch…
Read MoreThe Reason CARA (Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act) is Not All That Comprehensive
What Is CARA (The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016)? By now, you may have heard of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016. Designed to establish “a comprehensive, coordinated, balanced strategy through enhanced grant programs that would expand prevention and education efforts while also promoting treatment and recovery,” the bill…
Read MoreWhy You Need to Sign the White House Petition for National Pain Strategy
I’m pleased to say that I’ve signed the White House Petition that was recently launched by the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) with Consumer Pain Advocacy Task Force (CPATF). The petition asks the White House to implement and fund the National Pain Strategy (NPS) toward a better future for people with debilitating, life-altering…
Read MoreWhat the Latest @NatCounterPunch Opioid Article Doesn’t Want You To Know
I was troubled to see a recent story in the online publication, Counterpunch. It starts off by declaring the root cause of the opioid crisis is Pharma’s contribution to professional societies for “educational” programs. Counterpunch reports that the funding was provided to advocate for “more aggressive identification and treatment of pain.” Ironically, the tag line…
Read MoreThe Reasons Democracy Invites All Perspectives
According to a Baltimore Sun article, Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson, who teaches in the School of Pharmacy and specializes in hospice and end-of-life care, was removed from an FDA medical advisory panel along with three other doctors. The panel was organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Grants and Funding Although the…
Read MoreThis Is the Hazelton Betty Ford Institute’s Statement on Opioids
In a new press release posted by the Hazelden Betty Ford Institute for Recovery Advocacy, “The Hazelden Betty Ford Institute for Recovery Advocacy commends new steps taken by the American Medical Association (AMA) to help combat the national opioid crisis, and encourages continued action in the year ahead.” According to the Hazelden Betty Ford Institute, those…
Read MoreThe Truth About Treating Pain in Senior Citizens
Objections to Senior Citizens Receiving Opioids According to a recent report by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, opioids are commonly prescribed for senior citizens in pain. Almost 12 million Medicare beneficiaries received at least one prescription for an opioid painkiller last year. The report goes on…
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