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I Am Sorry
Basketball fans are undoubtedly aware of an incident that took place during March Madness this year. It went like this. March Madness Goes Wrong Gonzaga was playing Northwestern. Gonzaga was up by 5 points with 4:54 minutes remaining in the game when the Northwestern Wildcats’ Dererk Pardon attempted to put the ball through the…
Read More“Step Therapy” Puts Insurance Companies Ahead of Patients
This article was originally published in the Salt Lake City Tribune. A Process Called Step Therapy Gary developed excruciating pain in his shoulder and arm following a cervical disc herniation several years ago. He was athletic and otherwise in good health, but the pain is now disabling. For years, Gary was prescribed pregabalin for…
Read MoreResponse to Stat News Article
Open Letter to Stat News In Stat News, David Armstrong’s article on March 24, “TV documentary on pain treatment funded by doctor with industry ties,” misrepresented the purpose of the film, “The Painful Truth“; ignored several of my detailed answers to his questions; and unfairly criticized my professional associations. Armstrong suggested that the TV documentary…
Read MoreThe Survey Says…the CDC Opioid Guideline Needs to Be Honestly Assessed
One-Year Anniversary of the CDC Opioid Prescribing Guideline On the one-year anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) opioid prescribing guideline, an online survey of patients, doctors, and healthcare providers conducted by Pain News Network and the International Pain Foundation (iPain) found that the guideline has “harmed pain patients, reduced access to…
Read MoreAn Epiphany
Myra Christopher is the PAINS Director and someone I’m proud to call a friend. She has given me permission to re-post her blog, An Epiphany, here. It was first published at PainsProject.org. This morning I was a guest on Central Standard, a program which airs on the local Kansas City NPR station. The program’s focus…
Read MoreDo Patients Need Opioids Following Dental Procedures?
According to Fox News, “The American Dental Association recently reported dentistry is responsible for prescribing 12 percent of all instant-release opioids.” The article quotes Dr. Mojgam Fajiram, DDS, of Sutton Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry, who claims the dental industry gives out opioid prescriptions much too quickly “just to treat chronic pain.” Treating Pain from Dental Procedures…
Read MoreAs CDC Guidelines Approach One-Year Anniversary, Questions Loom
“Next month will mark the one year anniversary of opioid guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – guidelines that discourage primary care physicians from prescribing opioids for chronic non-cancer pain,” writes Pat Anson in the February 15, 2017 edition the Pain News Network newsletter. My Expectations for CDC Opioid Guidelines One…
Read MoreConstipation Isn’t a Fitting Punishment for People With Pain
Deb was in a near-fatal car accident. Her arms, legs, and pelvis were severely injured and would require multiple surgeries. She relied on opioids to ease the pain. Along with her other day-to-day medical challenges and constant setbacks, she suffered from constipation which her doctor attributed to her use of painkillers. But he offered no…
Read MoreHurting Pain Patients Is Not the Way to Solve the Opioid Crisis
“The insurance industry appears to have played a major role in the development of a new strategy by the federal government to combat the abuse of opioid pain medication,” writes Pat Anson, editor of Pain News Network. This Orwellian act by powerful insurance companies in collaboration with the US Department of Health and Human…
Read MoreCan You Feel My Pain?
Are patients qualified to determine whether or not opioids help in treating their pain? Pain Medicine Advance Access published a study that was conducted at the Back and Pain Center, University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, MI. The Back and Pain Center is an outpatient tertiary care pain clinic where patients are evaluated for…
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