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.

Join me on reddit.com tomorrow

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 27, 2016 /

  I will be doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) tomorrow at 3 pm EST on Reddit.   Check out reddit.com/r/iama, and ask me a question.

Tough Times Feed America’s Opioid Epidemic: What You Need To Know

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 24, 2016 /

The Heroin Epidemic in Huntington, W. VA CNN.com recently published a story called, “In America’s drug death capital: How heroin is scarring the next generation,” Wayne Drash and Max Blau, who reported the story, write intelligently about the heroin epidemic in Huntington, West Virginia. They tell the story the way it should be told. Drash…

The Painful Later Years of Frances Passik

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 21, 2016 /

  Steven D. Passik, Ph.D., is a Pennsylvania-based pain psychologist. I’m proud to call him a friend. He is a giant in the field of pain medicine, but that doesn’t make his family members immune to the problems that other chronic patients face. Steve lost his mother on September 14, 2016. He’s given me permission…

3 Reasons the New CDC Guidelines May Contribute to the Cost of Addiction

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 16, 2016 /

In the September 13 issue of Vice, Maia Szalavitz challenges the myth that the U.S. can solve the opioid crisis by reducing the supply. According to her biography published in Wikipedia, “[Szalavitz] has been awarded the American Psychological Association’s Division 50 Award for Contributions to the Addictions, the Media Award from the American College of…

This is The Reason Heroin Gave One Woman a Second Chance at Life

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 10, 2016 /

Detective Justin Albauer, who works for the Martin County Sheriff’s Department in Florida, pulled over Brianna Byrnes’s car in August 2015. That is a day that Byrnes will always remember. A Second Chance At Life  In a poignant CNN story, we can read about what happened. Detective Albauer arrested Byrnes. She served time in jail,…

September Is Pain Awareness Month: How YOU Can Help Now

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / September 2, 2016 /

According to the American Chronic Pain Association’s web site, “The month of September has been declared Pain Awareness Month. Pain Awareness Month is a time when various organizations work to raise public awareness of issues in the area of pain and pain management.” September Is Pain Awareness Month  The American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) doesn’t…

Using Pulses Instead of Pills to Control Pain

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / August 30, 2016 /

By Guest Blogger Russ Izzo A growing number of people suffering from all kinds of debilitating pain are experiencing relief from TENS therapy, which stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. This type of therapy may seem relatively new, but it’s actually been around for quite some time. If you can cast your mind back to around…

Pachyonychia Congenita: What It Is and Why It Matters To Me

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / August 27, 2016 /

Pachyonychia Congenita (or PC) is not just another chronic disabling pain problem for which there is no cure. This disease is personal, because my younger brother was born with it. His name is Lyle. Most people have never heard of PC. It is another one of the invisible chronic pain disorders that causes incredible suffering,…

Why You Need to Know About the New Prescription Drug Monitoring Act

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / August 19, 2016 /

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar co-introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) which was signed into law by President Obama last month. Now she’s co-introduced the Prescription Drug Monitoring Act which would mandate that doctors use prescription drug monitoring programs when prescribing painkillers to a patient for the first time. What are Prescription Monitoring Programs…

The Other Side of the Pain Story by guest Richard L. Martin

By Lynn Webster, M.D. / August 17, 2016 /

The Other Side of the Pain Story By Richard L. Martin, BSPharm (retired) I was a hospital pharmacist for twenty-five years. The last four years in practice, I was involved with the cancer ward helping oncologists, recommending pain medications, adjusting pain medications, and safely switching patients from one medication to another. Even though it’s been…

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