Archive for October 2016
Solving the Opioid Crisis Won’t Be “Cheap, Quick, or Easy”
“Last Week Tonight” is a late-night television show that satirizes the news. Therefore, you probably wouldn’t expect the show’s host, John Oliver, to make the news. Yet he did (see Rolling Stone, Time, Newsweek, Slate, and more) when he did a segment about the opioid crisis. Using Humor to Discuss the Opioid Crisis Oliver tackled…
Read MoreThis is the Reason OIC Is No Joking Matter
Why Joking About OIC Isn’t Funny According to a recent Washington Post story, six in ten American adults take prescription drugs, and this has created a “vast market for new meds to treat the side effects of the old ones.” The article is titled: “The drug industry’s answer to opioid addiction: More pills.” The article…
Read MoreWill the Opioid Epidemic Ever End? A Closer Look
“Abuse of opioid painkillers and heroin has been spreading throughout the U.S. population, from inner-city youths, jobless rural residents and high school students to wealthy suburbanites, young professionals and pop stars,” according to Peter Katel‘s recent CQ article, “Opioid Crisis: Can recent reforms curb the epidemic?” He continues, “More adults use prescription painkillers than cigarettes,…
Read MoreDr. Lynn Webster Talks Opioid Use on Reddit Ask Me Anything
PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS MUST BE USED WITH CARE Our country is currently facing a crisis. The CDC estimates that opioids were involved with more than 28,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2014. The CDC estimates that at least half involved a prescription opioid. The numbers are staggering. Opioids cannot simply be dismissed, however. Despite the inherent…
Read MoreThe United State of Grief
Steven D. Passik, Ph.D., is a Pennsylvania-based pain psychologist. I’m proud to call him a friend. He is a giant in the field of pain medicine, but that doesn’t make his family members immune to the problems that other chronic patients face. Steve lost his mother on September 14, 2016. He’s given me permission to…
Read MoreHow Media Fuels the Opioid Crisis
Data reporting by the media about the opioid crisis can be confusing, but when it is repeatedly reported inaccurately, it creates a perception of truth. Misinformation by the media can lead the public to demand quick fixes that won’t solve the problem and can make things even worse. Inaccurate Media Reporting Here’s an example of…
Read MoreThe United State of Grief
This is a follow up to a guest blog my friend, Steve D. Passik, posted here on September 21, 2016, called “The Painful Later Years of Frances Passik.” Steven D. Passik, Ph.D., is a Pennsylvania-based pain psychologist. I’m proud to call him a friend. He is a giant in the field of pain medicine, but…
Read MoreHow Canada’s Addiction Treatment Approach Compares to the U.S.
Canada and the United States are good neighbors, and share many values. Although Canada and the United States are part of the North American family, and we feel a kinship to them in so many ways, we have different mindsets about some key issues. Specifically, we do not feel the same way about some healthcare…
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