Posts Tagged ‘opioids’
Association Is Not Causation
The Court of Justice of the European Union’s Dubious Decision CBS News reported on June 21, 2017, “The highest court of the European Union ruled Wednesday that courts can consider whether a vaccination led to someone developing an illness even when there is no scientific proof.” According to CNN, this ruling means “if the development…
Read MoreWomen, Opioids, Benzodiazepines and Pain: A Potential Deadly Combination
When we think of the segments of the population who have been most affected by the opioid epidemic, we tend to think of poor, unemployed people who live in rural areas. In September of 2016, I published a blog called “Tough Times Feed America’s Opioid Epidemic: What You Need To Know.” In it, I…
Read MoreWhat Do You Do With the Mad That You Feel?
Many wonderful videos turn up on Facebook. Here is a video clip I found the other day. It features one of our country’s real heroes and inspirations, Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers Inspires Us This is a video of Fred Rogers testifying before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications in 1969 to save funding for public…
Read MoreCan Francis Collins Help Solve the Opioid Crisis?
The problem of opioid addiction is more complex than lawmakers, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the media would have us believe. Pressuring doctors who treat pain patients to prescribe fewer opioids may reduce the amount of opioids prescribed. While that doesn’t decrease the need for opioids, it may drive people who need…
Read MoreResponse to Stat News Article
Open Letter to Stat News In Stat News, David Armstrong’s article on March 24, “TV documentary on pain treatment funded by doctor with industry ties,” misrepresented the purpose of the film, “The Painful Truth“; ignored several of my detailed answers to his questions; and unfairly criticized my professional associations. Armstrong suggested that the TV documentary…
Read MoreAn Epiphany
Myra Christopher is the PAINS Director and someone I’m proud to call a friend. She has given me permission to re-post her blog, An Epiphany, here. It was first published at PainsProject.org. This morning I was a guest on Central Standard, a program which airs on the local Kansas City NPR station. The program’s focus…
Read MoreDo Patients Need Opioids Following Dental Procedures?
According to Fox News, “The American Dental Association recently reported dentistry is responsible for prescribing 12 percent of all instant-release opioids.” The article quotes Dr. Mojgam Fajiram, DDS, of Sutton Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry, who claims the dental industry gives out opioid prescriptions much too quickly “just to treat chronic pain.” Treating Pain from Dental Procedures…
Read MoreConstipation Isn’t a Fitting Punishment for People With Pain
Deb was in a near-fatal car accident. Her arms, legs, and pelvis were severely injured and would require multiple surgeries. She relied on opioids to ease the pain. Along with her other day-to-day medical challenges and constant setbacks, she suffered from constipation which her doctor attributed to her use of painkillers. But he offered no…
Read MoreCreating Positive Change for Babies, One Word at a Time
I’ve been critical of the media’s language in describing aspects of the opioid crisis. To solve the opioid crisis, we have to understand it and use terms that are factual but without spin. I believe the media could be a force in motivating people — the public as well as lawmakers — to take constructive…
Read MoreWhat Happens When Pain Changes a Cop’s Perspective?
A cop who arrested addicts is now experiencing life as a pain patient and has a much different perspective. You can read Nick Selby’s first-person account of “what happens when pain meets bad health policy and bad drug laws” in the Washington Post. He tells his story well, and it’s one that’s familiar to…
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