Posts by Lynn Webster, M.D.
Do Face Shields Protect You From Coronavirus?
White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx may have the best recommendation of all: wear a cloth mask and a face shield simultaneously. The mask, she says, protects others, while the face shields protect wearers. She calls masks and face shields “two different technologies for two different reasons.”
Read MoreHow to Say Goodbye
COVID-19 has forced me to think about the reality that death can catch any of us by surprise. As I write this, we are in the midst of a pandemic that has infected more than 17 million people and taken more than 680,000 lives worldwide. Many of the COVID-19 victims died alone and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Read MorePain Gene: Interesting, but Insufficient
How we experience pain is a result of both environmental and genetic features. The genetic factors are what we inherit.
Read More“First, Do No Harm” Doesn’t Mean “Avoid Opioid Therapy”
A mischaracterization of the phrase “First, do no harm” must not prevent providers from caring for people, or prevent policymakers from allowing physicians to treat their patients. That treatment must include providing patients with medication that can adequately provide pain relief with acceptable risk.
Read MoreHonoring Black Pioneers in Medicine
Only 5 percent of physicians in the United States are Black, despite the fact that the population includes more than double that number of African Americans. That needs to change.
Read MoreNew Podcast Discusses Current Issues Involving Pain and Politics
Dr. Ziegler is an advocate for people in pain. A Purdue University professor emeritus, Dr. Ziegler has also worked as a lawyer, police officer, detective, DEA agent, and humorist. I don’t know how he puts these experiences together, but I’m grateful that he is willing and able to leverage all of his skills and knowledge in a remarkable way to produce entertaining and informative podcasts.
Read MoreWhite Privilege and People in Pain
If I had been of a different race, would I have been treated with the same compassion? Research today suggests I probably would not have been.
Read MoreWhat to Do If You Lose Your Health Insurance
Before COVID-19 emerged, more than 27 million Americans lacked health insurance. The uninsured population mostly lived in low-income households where at least one person was working, and almost half of those who were uninsured cited the high cost of coverage as the reason. They may have been eligible for assistance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”), but they may not have known that.
Read MoreRise Up Against Injustice
We know that unfair treatment applies to many subsets of the population, including people with pain. However, in this blog, I want to acknowledge the toll that racial inequality has taken on millions of Americans for generations.This week, I want to pay tribute to people who have been treated unjustly.
Read MorePeaceful Protests and Prejudice
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on June 6, 2020. The Salt Lake Tribune recently published a story that distressed me. It said that Scott Senjo, a criminal justice associate professor at Weber State University in Utah, tweeted threats at those who were peacefully protesting the alleged murder…
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