Follow Dr. Webster on Substack

Going forward, all my new articles will appear on Substack. This will give us a cleaner, more reliable way to stay connected with thoughtful, evidence-based commentary on pain, addiction, health policy, and the science that matters most to patients, and people interested in the health-related topics I write about.

How Smart Is It to Take Smart Drugs?

By Stacey J. Miller / September 22, 2018 /

This is an article by Stacey J. Miller. I offer it with the author’s permission for informational purposes. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE HER OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE. The Myth of Brain Power If you hear something often enough, you may start to believe it. Most of…

Football and Brain Trauma

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 15, 2018 /

Football’s Risks It’s just a “ding,” the coach would tell the parents. “He will be fine. He needs to be a man and get tougher. Everything is fine.” This is what I heard growing up in a place where football was valued more than religion. In fact, it was our religion. Unfortunately, we now know…

Detecting the Liar

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 8, 2018 /

Discerning Lies Can Be Challenging According to Scientific American Mind, lying “is among the most sophisticated accomplishments of the human mind.” It requires cognitive skills that children are not born with and must acquire. Our ability to lie seems to improve until we reach young adulthood, and then it levels off. Once we reach about…

Science Doesn’t Prove Anything!

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 1, 2018 /

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.…

Everyday Saints and Unsung Heroes

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / August 25, 2018 /

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…

6 Biggest Training Mistakes Women Make

By Ryan Varela / August 18, 2018 /

This is an article by Ryan Varela. I offer it with the author’s permission for informational purposes. The author and I have no financial involvement. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE HIS OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE. Women train and exercise with the specific aim which is not limited…

Wounded Healer

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / August 11, 2018 /

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…

How to Find an Addiction Treatment Provider

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / August 4, 2018 /

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…

Oregon’s Proposal to Deny Access to Prescription Opioids Is Dangerous

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / July 28, 2018 /

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…

Unhelpful Numbers Create Misleading Political Statements

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / July 21, 2018 /

“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…

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