Posts by Lynn Webster, M.D.
Lessons Learned From Abington Memorial Hospital’s New Institutional Methadone Policy
Maria C. Foy, PharmD, remembers the patient who first piqued her research interest in methadone policy—a pregnant, recovering heroine addict on methadone therapy who presented to Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pa. “The incident made us aware that there was a real lack of understanding and knowledge on the use of methadone and the differences…
Read MoreGuest Post: Barby Ingle on Chronic Pain and Opioids
By Barby Ingle, President Power of Pain Foundation Imagine going from living an active life, where dance was a central part of your life, to living in pain that limits your every move. It happened to me. As head of Washington State University’s cheer and dance programs, physical fitness was a central and wonderful part…
Read MoreDr. Lynn Webster Talks Opioid Use on Reddit Ask Me Anything
The movie “Cake” starring Jennifer Aniston will be released Jan. 23rd. I will definitely be in the audience when it opens, and I urge everyone else to see it. Aniston stars as Claire, a woman who suffers from chronic pain. She becomes obsessed with the suicide death of one of the members of her support…
Read MoreVA Announcement a New Front in Fight Against Chronic Pain Among Veterans
Images of happy reunions, embraces with family members and young parents seeing their infant sons and daughters for the first time have followed the more than 10,000 veterans settling in to civilian life having returned from service in Afghanistan. These images however belie the fact that many combat veterans will return to civilian life plagued…
Read MoreFixing the Chronic Pain Care Catch-22
Healthcare providers in the U.S. are poorly prepared to manage chronic pain, according to the National Institutes for Health. No argument here. Time Magazine’s Alexandra Sifferlin does an excellent job covering the January NIH report on this deepening crisis. But she ignores a crucial factor: how to pay for the interdisciplinary care that the NIH…
Read MoreA Chorus of Change
The movie “Cake” starring Jennifer Aniston will be released Jan. 23rd. I will definitely be in the audience when it opens, and I urge everyone else to see it. Aniston stars as Claire, a woman who suffers from chronic pain. She becomes obsessed with the suicide death of one of the members of her support…
Read MoreNew Approaches to Pain Care Needed
“For those suffering chronic pain, the hardest part is convincing others.” These words reinforce what nearly one-third of Americans already know, and introduce an NPR feature on chronic pain. After reporting the all too familiar statistics, (about 116 million people suffer from chronic pain with a cost of $635 billion in medical expenses and lost…
Read MoreSearching for Answers in the Wrong Places
Twenty U.S. Senators joined forces to pen a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell on the national strategy to prevent opioid abuse. Among their grievances with the plan in development, the senators urged Secretary Burwell to integrate naloxone into the treatment process for overdoses. Naloxone works by temporarily halting the symptoms…
Read MoreRelief Remains Elusive for NFL Players with Pain
Former NFL players suffering from chronic pain will not get their day in court after a decision handed down from a federal judge today. The lawsuit alleged that the NFL illegally administered painkillers to players in an effort to mask injuries and keep them on the field. In his opinion, Judge William Alsup wrote that the matter…
Read MoreA Mindful Approach to Chronic Pain
The average millennial shifts their attention between technological platforms an average of 27 times per hour. From sending a text message on their cell phone, to responding to an email on their laptop, to glancing over to the T.V. to catch a news segment, distraction is undeniable. Anderson Cooper did a great service in doing a…
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