Pain Management
This is the Reason Karl Marx Was Wrong, According to 90% of Americans
Karl Marx called religion the “opium of the people.” He meant that religion creates an illusory happiness that prevents people from seeking real happiness, which he believed would come through communism. Marx underestimated the continuing role that spirituality plays in human well-being. Americans Pray For Healing One CNN report claims that 90% of Americans pray…
Read MoreThis is the Opioids Paradox for Chronic Pain Patients
Our wise elders had a saying: moderation is the key to happiness. Unfortunately, there is little moderation where opioids are concerned. They are both over-prescribed and under-prescribed for patients in chronic pain. This results in what I call the opioids paradox. Opioids Prescribed In Excess In fact, opioids sometimes are prescribed in excess. Much,…
Read MoreEnormous Gender and Ethnic Bias in Pain Treatment
Sometimes, it embarrasses me to be a medical professional. I honor and respect my colleagues, and typically, I’m proud to call myself a physician. But a recent Washington Post story about the enormous biases medical students have regarding pain treatment has troubled me deeply. The Washington Post story reports that a majority of medical…
Read MoreThis is the Reason Mindfulness and Meditation Transcend Religion
Mindfulness is not a foreign religion or threat to anyone’s religion, despite what some people may assume. We should remember that Walking the Labyrinth is a traditional process by which believers in Christianity can meditate. All religions have recognized the healing properties of meditation or mindfulness. Each religion may use its own symbols or mannerisms…
Read MoreWhat Is the Correlation Between Financial Stress and the Ability to Cope with Pain?
The authors of this Harvard Business Review article appropriately report an association between economic insecurity and the rise in painkiller consumption. Of course, a person’s painkiller consumption may increase for many reasons, but augmented pain due to stress certainly may be one reason. The Experience of Pain People consume painkillers primarily because of pain which…
Read MoreThis is the Way We Learn: Through Family Connections
The Importance of Family Connections This article discusses the needs of grandparents and why it is important to them that their grandchildren stay in touch. That reminds me of the movie, “The River Runs Through It,” and the impact the film had on several of my friends and me. Before I saw the movie,…
Read MoreAbuse-Deterrent Formulations Are Part of the Solution to Overdose Crisis
Curbing The Epidemic of Drug Overdoses Dr. Robert Califf, the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, is focusing his energy on curbing the epidemic of drug overdoses. He told a panel of FDA advisors last week that abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) may be part of the solution. However, many speakers at that panel…
Read MoreThe Reasons Caregivers are Heroes and Saints
Some religions call their holiest people saints. In secular speak, a saint is a person who is pure, honest, and beyond reproach, and who mostly devotes their life to benefit others. In our more common vernacular, we use the word “heroes” to describe those who sacrifice themselves for the good of others. Saints and Heroes:…
Read MoreIs Death from Pain a Natural Death?
What is a natural death? That’s partly a judgment call, and it reveals our prejudice against pain patients. Pain treatment and cancer treatment are two colors of the same spectrum. They both serve the same purpose, and yet they’re perceived very differently. Pain treatment with an opioid is unacceptable to many advocating against the use…
Read MoreWhat Is the Icon for Chronic Pain?
The Icon For Cancer: The Jimmy Fund Say what you will about Boston sports teams. One of them, the Boston Braves, helped launch “The Jimmy Fund.” It all started in 1948. At that time, members of polite society rarely mentioned cancer. Fear, superstition, and ignorance caused people to whisper about cancer, steer clear of anyone…
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