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.
We know that unfair treatment applies to many subsets of the population, including people with pain. However, in this blog, I want to acknowledge the toll that racial inequality has taken on millions of Americans for generations.This week, I want to pay tribute to people who have been treated unjustly.
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on June 6, 2020. The Salt Lake Tribune recently published a story that distressed me. It said that Scott Senjo, a criminal justice associate professor at Weber State University in Utah, tweeted threats at those who were peacefully protesting the alleged murder…
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on May 30, 2020. When I was a little boy, we planted roses, geraniums, chrysanthemums, and tulips at the graveside of my grandparents every Memorial Day. In the beginning, we only had my maternal grandfather’s and paternal grandmother’s graves to decorate.…
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on May 23, 2020. On a recent “Hidden Brain” podcast, Shankar Vedantam interviewed former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy about the need for connection. Dr. Murthy is promoting his book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely…
Erin Bromage, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, recently posted one of the most informative articles that I have read on how the virus is transmitted. It is worth reading.
What is it about certain medical conditions that results in unprecedented concern, a willingness to muster all resources, and an outpouring of selflessness from practitioners and the public alike? Why are healthcare professionals willing to risk their lives for coronavirus patients, but not their reputations to treat chronic pain?
Today, we are undergoing a very different disaster, but the same disparities are still in play.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, this seemed to be the right time to revisit the reason why people who want to have a say in their care, in the event of serious illness, should consider having Advance Care Directives (ACDs).
Currently, there is no cure or vaccine proven to be effective against COVID-19. There simply hasn’t been enough time to conduct the required research. However, as the above figure illustrates, there is a gallant worldwide effort to find effective treatments and vaccines.
These are hard times. Our emotions are intense and frayed, and often it’s helpful to share those feelings. Pain News Network, in collaboration with chronic pain advocate Barby Ingle, has published a survey you can take to share how the pandemic has affected you thus far.
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