At the beginning of my medical career, I met a patient who would change the trajectory of my life. He was a World War I veteran who suffered from arthritis, causing an excruciating grinding noise whenever he bent his limbs. Despite having risked his life for his country, his pain was so excruciating that whenever…
Read MoreIgnoring the Law of Unintended Consequences—which dictates that undesired outcomes result from a well-meant action—appears to be human nature. In trying to do good, people create more problems, in part because they fail to consider all the moving parts in a complex world. Simple human stupidity is another reason, but much can be explained by…
Read MoreDr. Lynn Webster: Hello, this is Dr. Lynn Webster, thank you for listening to this question and answer series on lynnwebstermd.com. Today I am proud to have Dr. Sean Mackey with me. Dr. Mackey is the immediate past president of American Academy of Pain Medicine and Professor of Anesthesiology at Stanford University. Thank you for…
Read MoreChronic pain affects 1 in 3 Americans and exerts more than a $600-billion drain on the economy annually. It is the largest invisible epidemic we face. Having treated thousands of patients with chronic pain – often when they were at their most vulnerable – I want to improve the future for pain suffers. As one…
Read MoreWhile Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton only recently announced her bid for office in 2016, she has already declared a few important issues on her presidential agenda, including the ever-important opioid crisis in the United States. Many are chiming in to offer their best solutions to curbing the opioid abuse epidemic; sadly, many of the proposed…
Read MoreSeveral years ago, I happened to be reading a research article about people who had lost limbs in landmine explosions, when I ran across a psychological distinction that I’ve seen validated many times since then. It seems that one of the major factors determining the quality of recovery for someone who has suffered this kind…
Read MoreEditor’s Note: This post was originally published on Clinical Pain Advisor in response to an earlier story titled: Opioids During Pregnancy Affect Birth Weight, Respiratory Health. Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported a well-known link between opioid use during pregnancy and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in a recently published study that is quickly gaining traction online. It is sparking a great deal of controversy — in part because there is…
Read MoreBy Barby Ingle, President Power of Pain Foundation As a leader in the pain community and someone who personally advocates for pain patients on a daily basis, I strongly believe that we can combat the issues of abuse while still giving patients who need pain relief a safe, effective and accountable access to these medications.…
Read MoreLynn R. Webster, MD Tinseltown does not generally have much in common with medicine, but the big screens will occasionally reflect what is happening in society. It’s been more than two decades since Tom Hanks won his first Best Actor Oscar award for his role in “Philadelphia,” a movie that contributed to a national social…
Read MoreIn an effort to curb opioid drug abuse and addiction, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued new rules that limit the accessibility of hydrocodone, putting chronic pain sufferers who rely on the drug in an impossible situation. The DEA’s new restrictions come after the decision to relabel hydrocodone as a Schedule II drug, making…
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