Posts by Lynn Webster, M.D.
The Backlash of Government’s Efforts to Curb Opioid Prescribing
Turn the Tide Campaign Brings Unintended Consequences It began just about a year ago, when the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain provided “recommendations for primary care clinicians who were prescribing opioids for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.” The emphasis is mine. The goal, as the…
Read MoreCortisol and Your Body – What You Should Know
Jessica Hegg is the content manager at ViveHealth.com. Interested in all things related to living a healthy lifestyle, she works to share valuable information aimed at overcoming obstacles and improving the quality of life for others. I hope you’ll find her article helpful. — Lynn R. Webster, MD Ever wonder what’s really happening in…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Roots to the Opioid Crisis
Every time I hear about an opioid-related overdose death, I can only feel empathy for the family of the decedent. Whether it’s the result of using street drugs that are laced with fentanyl or carfentanil, as in the case of a 21-year-old woman from Virginia, or a person in pain who accidentally overdoses, each death…
Read MoreWhy Fentanyl Is So Deadly
According to Martha Bebinger of WBUR, “About 75 percent of the state’s men and women who died after an unintentional overdose last year had fentanyl in their system, up from 57 percent in 2015 (PDF). It’s a pattern cities and towns are seeing across the state [of Massachusetts] and country, particularly in New England and…
Read MoreI Am Sorry
Basketball fans are undoubtedly aware of an incident that took place during March Madness this year. It went like this. March Madness Goes Wrong Gonzaga was playing Northwestern. Gonzaga was up by 5 points with 4:54 minutes remaining in the game when the Northwestern Wildcats’ Dererk Pardon attempted to put the ball through the…
Read More“Step Therapy” Puts Insurance Companies Ahead of Patients
This article was originally published in the Salt Lake City Tribune. A Process Called Step Therapy Gary developed excruciating pain in his shoulder and arm following a cervical disc herniation several years ago. He was athletic and otherwise in good health, but the pain is now disabling. For years, Gary was prescribed pregabalin for…
Read MoreResponse to Stat News Article
Open Letter to Stat News In Stat News, David Armstrong’s article on March 24, “TV documentary on pain treatment funded by doctor with industry ties,” misrepresented the purpose of the film, “The Painful Truth“; ignored several of my detailed answers to his questions; and unfairly criticized my professional associations. Armstrong suggested that the TV documentary…
Read MoreBecause of Pharma, We Take Aspirin for Headaches Instead of Chewing Bark
A July 8, 2016 Baltimore Sun article was titled, “Painkiller panel drops experts linked to pharma industry.” This story described how 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. Three other doctors were similarly dismissed from the…
Read MoreThe Survey Says…the CDC Opioid Guideline Needs to Be Honestly Assessed
One-Year Anniversary of the CDC Opioid Prescribing Guideline On the one-year anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) opioid prescribing guideline, an online survey of patients, doctors, and healthcare providers conducted by Pain News Network and the International Pain Foundation (iPain) found that the guideline has “harmed pain patients, reduced access to…
Read MoreAn Epiphany
Myra Christopher is the PAINS Director and someone I’m proud to call a friend. She has given me permission to re-post her blog, An Epiphany, here. It was first published at PainsProject.org. This morning I was a guest on Central Standard, a program which airs on the local Kansas City NPR station. The program’s focus…
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