Posts by Lynn Webster, M.D.
Science Doesn’t Prove Anything!
The Immutable Truth You may think of science as factual or the immutable truth. Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion are accepted as true, but they aren’t proven. No scientific facts ever have been proven, and they never will be. Science is based on measurements or tools that can be informative and provide useful data.…
Read MoreEveryday Saints and Unsung Heroes
Six years ago, this blog was first published. It has been slightly edited, but the words remain as true today as they were then. Caregivers Sacrifice Themselves for the Good of Others Religions call their holiest people saints. In secular speak, saints are people who are pure, honest, beyond reproach, and devote their lives to…
Read MoreWounded Healer
My Review of Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop, a Book by Anna Lembke, M.D. In Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop, Anna Lembke, M.D. offers her views on how a failed health care system created the…
Read MoreHow to Find an Addiction Treatment Provider
Molly’s Story Illustrates How Addiction Can Happen Molly (a pseudonym) was a 25-year-old woman who developed an addiction to opioids. She was initially prescribed opioids for pain by her gynecologist. Although only a small percentage of people who use opioids become addicted to them, Molly’s story illustrates how it can happen. Molly came to me looking…
Read MoreOregon’s Proposal to Deny Access to Prescription Opioids Is Dangerous
Here is the email I sent to The Oregon Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) and its subcommittee, Value-based Benefits Subcommittee (VbBS), at the suggestion of a recent National Pain Report article: I am writing in regards to the Oregon Health Plan’s proposal to limit access to opioids for people in chronic pain. Certainly, opioid abuse…
Read MoreUnhelpful Numbers Create Misleading Political Statements
“Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics” Benjamin Disraeli reportedly said that there are three types of lies: “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” He may have been right. The Washington Post recently published an article titled, “Companies shipped 1.6 billion opioids to Missouri from 2012 to 2017, report says.” The story references a report released by Senator Claire…
Read MorePeople in Pain Speak Out
HHS Pain Task Force Holds Its Inaugural Meeting The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Task Force held its inaugural meeting in May 2018 that included a public comment period. Members of the public had also been invited to submit their comments about chronic pain online, and the site received 2,530 posts.…
Read MorePostural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
What Is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)? Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) affects between 1 and 3 million Americans, typically women between 15 and 50 years old. It is a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, or a dysautonomia disorder, which involves blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, urination, breathing, and body temperature. As the Standing Up…
Read MoreTreating Babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Means Babies Are Born in Withdrawal Babies who are exposed to drugs in the womb may be born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Some people mistakenly believe these infants are born addicted to opioids. In fact, babies with NAS are born in withdrawal from opioids. They are not addicted to them. If…
Read MoreRare Diseases and Orphan Drugs
Many Types of Pain Are Considered Rare Diseases According to Scientific American, there are approximately 6,800 rare diseases, most of which have no approved treatment. To be considered a rare disease, it must affect fewer than 200,000 Americans. Most rare diseases have limited treatment options. Unfortunately, many types of chronic pain are considered rare diseases…
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