Posts Tagged ‘opioids’
The Visible Few Pain Patients
The visible few are the small number of people whose stories have been heard by journalists, media consumers, and government officials. Their stories reflect millions of Americans suffering from chronic pain who live in the shadows and are invisible to most of us.
Read MoreAre Prescribed Opioids the Culprits or the Scapegoats?
Solving the drug crisis will not be easy. However, the disenfranchised members of our most impoverished communities deserve viable solutions to their problems. It is crucial to understand the degree to which job loss and hopelessness contribute to the drug problem. Reputable data proves that the volume of opioids prescribed is not solely, or even primarily, responsible for the opioid crisis. Let’s be sure we are not using prescription opioids as the scapegoat.
Read MoreEmpathy Must Be Included in Pain Management Education
The National Institutes for Health (NIH) has published a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks input from “stakeholders throughout the scientific research and medical education community and the general public regarding the Centers for Excellence in Pain Education (CoEPEs) educational content regarding treating pain and opioid misuse or use disorder.”
Read MoreAddiction and the 2020 Presidential Race
The ideal presidential candidate should recognize the tragedies associated with all addictions, not just with prescription opioids.
Read MoreMan Trapped in a Billboard
It’s understandable that an advertising agency would have trouble accurately conveying the problems of drug dependence and addiction when the media, too, often has difficulty communicating the facts.
Read MoreIs Postpartum Pain Control a Crap Shoot?
I worried that the hospital’s choice to lessen the amount of drugs prescribed, rather than focusing on patients’ clinical needs, might mean my daughter’s need for pain control would be unmet. The idea of my daughter enduring inadequately treated pain haunted me, as it would any father, but as a pain specialist, it may have troubled me even more.
Read MoreDetoxification as Performance Art
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on May 31, 2019. “Treatment Box: Rebekkah’s Story” won an Emmy for Outstanding Special Class – Short Format Daytime Program at the 46th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The 6-minute video was produced by The Truth About Opioids, which is an opioid…
Read MoreHonoring Our Veterans on Memorial Day
Those statistics are difficult to read anytime, but they seem especially troubling as the United States commemorates Memorial Day. This is the time for us to acknowledge that those who have served our country deserve the best medical care available.
Read MoreHow to Know If You Are Addicted
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared in Consumer Health Digest on May 15, 2019. Everyone has heard the phrase “opioid addiction,” but few understand what that really means. Journalists, patients, and even many doctors believe they know what addiction is, but they are often wrong. This leads many people to be diagnosed…
Read MoreOregon’s Proposed Tapering Policy Is Still Undecided
Forced Tapering Proposal On March 14, 2019, the Oregon Health Authority Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) had planned to vote on a proposal that could affect thousands of Medicaid patients in Oregon. The proposal would limit Medicaid coverage of opioids to 90 days for chronic pain patients. Those who have been using opioids for more…
Read More