Posts Tagged ‘opioids’
How 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 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 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 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…
Read MoreGet Out to Vote
Vote to Change Healthcare Policies Mid-term elections are approaching. If you have the ability to vote, then this is a chance to help determine the direction of our healthcare policies. There are many issues important to each of us. To people who follow my blog, the most important healthcare issues have to do with how…
Read MoreSUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act
SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act President Donald Trump signed the bi-partisan opioid legislation on October 24. According to Vox, the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act “is a big breakthrough that will boost access to addiction treatment and many other interventions to mitigate the…
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