opioids
How Has CDC Opioid Guideline Affected You?
Pain News Network is now conducting a survey with the intent of finding out how the CDC guideline is affecting both providers and patients.
Read MorePrevalence of Chronic Pain Increasing
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on February 22, 2019. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid prescribing quadrupled from 1999 to 2010. Some policymakers suggest that the amount prescribed in 1999 was appropriate and should remain static, and that any prescribing above the 1999 level exceeds the amount required to meet the needs of…
Read MoreAre Most Retired NFL Players Really Addicts?
We can probably attribute the use or misuse of opioids to the fact that these retired football players were trying to mitigate severe pain.
Read MoreHow Government Shutdowns Worsen the Opioid Crisis
Government shutdowns increase the likelihood that opioids could find their way past our borders. And our ability to treat people with opioid addiction may also be compromised.
Read MoreHollywood Romanticizes Addiction
We all love good storytelling. Cinema can mirror the real world or create a universe of its own. Movies can transport us to another world, beyond ordinary consciousness and emotions. It can be an agent for positive cultural change, or it can spread false narratives that are largely adopted by society. It can help solve…
Read MoreEyes Wide Open
So Much I Don’t Know The New York Times article by Alex Berenson, “What Advocates of Legalizing Pot Don’t Want You to Know,” reminds me of Sabrina Carpenter’s song, “Eyes Wide Open,” that includes these lyrics: “Better keep my eyes wide open/There’s so much I don’t know.” There may be “so much I don’t know”…
Read MoreA Daughter’s Pain and Healing
This is an article by Reggie W. Greening. 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 HIS OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE. Some people with pain have benefited from alternative therapies. In my…
Read MoreFive Consequential Issues for People with Pain in 2018
As 2018 comes to a close, I have reflected on legislation, polices, and a critical report that will likely continue to have an impact on the pain community in 2019. In no particular order, I have listed 5 issues that I feel were highly consequential for 2018. 1. CMS Decides to Impose Opioid Limits Beginning…
Read MoreAmerican Society of Anesthesiologists Oppose Oregon’s Opioid Prescribing Proposal
Oregon Chronic Pain Task Force’s Proposal I previously posted a letter written by Dr. Sean Mackey that discusses the problem with the Oregon Chronic Pain Task Force’s proposal that would leave many Medicaid patients without adequate pain therapy. The proposal would force providers to lower, or eliminate, the use of opioids despite the benefits patients…
Read MoreWhat Senator Ed Markey Doesn’t Understand
Senator Ed Markey of MA Opposed DSUVIA According to a recent USA Today article, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts “urged the FDA not to approve Dsuvia last month, saying “an opioid that is a thousand times more powerful than morphine is a thousand times more likely to be abused, and a thousand times more likely to…
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