chronic pain
What are the psychological effects of chronic pain?
This is an article by Casey Bloom. 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 HER OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE. Chronic pain can disrupt your life both physically and psychologically. It can…
Read MoreThe Malevolent Attack on Women
It distresses me to know that, while the original ORT served to help assess the risk opioids posed for individuals, it has also caused harm. Since the question about a woman’s sexual abuse history does not provide any additional benefit, there is no reason to retain it. The ORT-OUD should be used instead of the original ORT.
Read MoreCDC Revised Opioid Prescribing Guideline Falls Short of What People in Pain Need
The updated guideline contains beneficial changes. Among them, certain prescription duration limits and the upper MME dosage threshold have been removed. There is some acknowledgment that pain treatment is indeed important. Yet, the inappropriate usage of the 2016 guideline and policies created in its image to harass, prosecute and even jail clinicians must be specifically and adequately addressed. The MME threshold now in the revised version is no more scientifically sound than the ones in the previous version, and it has already been shown that dosage levels are too easily interpreted with rigidity by policymakers and payors. Until these issues are resolved, the fallout has the potential to harm patient care into the future.
Read MoreWhy the Pain Community Should Support Voting Rights Legislation
Disenfranchised people are in danger of losing their right to vote, and people in pain are an important constituency. Congress recently passed H.R. 4, which is a revised version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Read MoreConsequences of the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
In my view, it was a mistake for the CDC to publish the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain in 2016.
Read MoreA Drug Problem Isn’t a Moral Failing
We may never know why Rush Limbaugh made the choices he did. But, just as we would never think of berating him for falling victim to the lung cancer that took his life, we also shouldn’t chastise him for misusing painkillers.
Read MorePause
I am taking a pause in writing blogs, columns, and editorials. I sincerely want to thank everyone who has followed me. I hope you all will continue to seek factual information. Please know that my commitment to the pain and addiction community is as strong as ever.
Read MoreThe Devil Effect and Patients with Pain
The belief that Big Pharma is inherently bad makes it difficult to appreciate the good things (such as vaccines and cures for diseases) that come from Pharma and separate them from the bad things (such as the negative consequences of some drugs and apparent greed).
Read MoreAre We Living in the Matrix?
A recent Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” illustrates how social media networks are selling each of us as commodities to advertisers. Tristan Harris, a former Google employee, points out that platforms such as Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram make money by allowing advertisers to target only those who are interested in their messages or products
Read MoreThe American Medical Association Takes on the CDC Opioid Guidelines
The new recommendation offered by the AMA holds to a long-held belief by many physicians with expertise in pain and addiction medicine that patients with a current, or a history of an, opioid use disorder should receive effective pain care, including opioid therapy, when clinically indicated and in consideration of known risks and benefits.
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