Posts by Lynn Webster, M.D.
How Does Your Brain Respond to Pain?
We love this TEDEd lesson on the complicated topic of pain. Check it out then tell us your stories and respond on Twitter using hashtag #mindonpain.
Read MoreEmpathy: An Overdue Prescription
Last week I discussed the phenomenon that, though more women experience pain than men, they are chronically undertreated. Ethnic minorities, including African Americans, are known to be undertreated as well. Not surprisingly, low-income patients experience the same disparity. One could point to subtle gender, class, and racial biases as the reason why such disparities exist.…
Read MoreWomen in Pain: What We Need to Know
As I put it in my book The Painful Truth, “Pain is an unbidden guest, humanity’s shadow companion down through the ages. It is an interloper, a despoiler of dreams, a thief.” The “thief,” however, does not treat all persons equally. Chronic pain affects one group of people more frequently than any other—women. A study…
Read MoreInterview with Robert Twillman, M.D. – Question #4
Dr. Lynn Webster: Hello, this is Dr. Lynn Webster. Thank you for listening to this pain topic series of interviews on lynnwebstermd.com. Today I’m proud to have Dr. Bob Twillman, most of you probably are aware of Dr. Twillman. He is executive director for the American Academy of Pain Management and I believe is probably…
Read MoreInterview with Robert Twillman, M.D. – Question # 3
Dr. Lynn Webster: Hello, this is Dr. Lynn Webster. Thank you for listening to this pain topic series of interviews on lynnwebstermd.com. Today I’m proud to have Dr. Bob Twillman, most of you probably are aware of Dr. Twillman. Dr. Lynn Webster: Hello, this is Dr. Lynn Webster. Thank you for listening to this…
Read MoreWhat’s Massachusetts Thinking?
What’s Massachusetts thinking? The newest twist in the painkiller abuse debate is that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has proposed legislation that has me in dejected disbelief. The bill would restrict both doctors and dentists from prescribing more than 72 hours of medication to patients upon initial injury or surgery. I understand the thought but it…
Read MoreInterview with Robert Twillman, M.D. – Question #1
Dr. Lynn Webster: Hello, this is Dr. Lynn Webster. Thank you for listening to this pain topic series of interviews on lynnwebstermd.com. Today I’m proud to have Dr. Bob Twillman, most of you probably are aware of Dr. Twillman. Dr. Lynn Webster: Hello, this is Dr. Lynn Webster. Thank you for listening to this pain…
Read MorePendulums and Painkillers
Carl Jung once remarked, “The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.” When I think about the nation’s patchwork quilt policy toward opioids, I’m reminded of how right he was. In my book “The Painful Truth,” I devoted some space to outline a brief history of opioids, and…
Read MoreConfronting Mental Illness and Guns: What Should We Do?
In my column in Pain Medicine News this month, I talked about a tragic dual suicide attempt of a married couple I knew, both of whom suffered from chronic pain. From one standpoint, a story like this is as shocking as it is incomprehensible. From another perspective, it’s becoming another sad milepost in society–not unlike the rash…
Read MoreInterview with Robert Twillman, M.D. – Question #2
Dr. Lynn Webster: Hello, this is Dr. Lynn Webster. Thank you for listening to this pain topic series of interviews on lynnwebstermd.com. Today I’m proud to have Dr. Bob Twillman, most of you probably are aware of Dr. Twillman. He is executive director for the American Academy of Pain Management and I believe is probably…
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