Will Tom Petty’s Death Move Funding for Research Forward?

Free Fall Into Opioid Use

“And I’m free, free fallin’
(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’)
Yeah I’m free, free fallin’
(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’)”

When Tom Petty’s song, “Free Fallin’,” was released in 1989, he probably didn’t expect that his death would occur in October 2017 at age 66 as the result of an accidental free fall into opioid use.

According to National Public Radio, the LA Coroner determined that his death was caused by the accidental overdose of a mix of opioids, including fentanyl. He had been taking these drugs to treat pain from knee problems and a fractured hip, as well as other ailments.

Is Your Psoas Causing Your Lower Back Pain?

This is an article by Anne Keiley. 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 HER OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Photo by Sam Burriss on Unsplash

Is Your Psoas Causing Your Lower Back Pain?

A lot of us sit in the office at desk jobs and don’t think about our posture. Long days spent sitting in front of the screen will slowly but surely take a toll on our lower back, especially if we aren’t educated on good and bad posture.

Medical Illiteracy Contributes to the Opioid Crisis

Medical Illiteracy Contributes to the Opioid Crisis was first published in The Hill on December 20, 2016. It was designated by The Hill staff as one of the top 5 health stories of 2016.

I’ve had the privilege of regularly contributing to The Hill since November 20, 2016. My opinions do not necessarily represent those of the editors, nor do all of those who comment on my columns necessarily agree with my point of view, all of the time.

Gaslighting the Public

To Push a Political Agenda

It’s troubling to think that our thought leaders and government officials could intentionally mislead the public. But I was reminded this week after watching “The Post,” a film about the massive coverup that spanned three decades of secrets and lies about the Vietnam conflict, that our government has indeed intentionally deceived and lied to the American public.

Burying information is one way to further a political agenda. Limiting acceptable words and, as the National Review points out, choosing language specifically to distort the truth is another. You might be far more willing to ingest a meat additive, for example, if detractors hadn’t labeled it as “pink slime.”

Unintended Consequences of Limiting Prescribed Opioids

Arbitrarily Reducing Opioids

Payers, legislators, and healthcare systems are implementing limits on how many pills may be dispensed to people with pain in an effort to curb the opioid crisis.

CVS announced this past September they would limit the number of pills new patients with acute pain can obtain to a seven-day supply.

Last July, Maine passed legislation limiting new prescriptions for opioids to 100 morphine milligram equivalents per day for most patients.

The giant prescription benefits manager, Express Scripts, began a program last September limiting people with new opioid prescriptions to a seven-day supply, not to exceed 200 mg per day.

Please Send the FDA Your Comments

New Opioid Policy Steering Committee

On September 29 of this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a notice — Opioid Policy Steering Committee; Establishment of a Public Docket; Request for Comments — in the Federal Register, The Daily Journal of the United States Government.

The FDA is seeking comments from members of the public, including chronic pain patients and their families, healthcare professionals, academic institutions, and industry relative to the FDA’s new Opioid Policy Steering Committee (OPSC).

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. has expressed his commitment to confronting the opioid crisis and reducing the possibility of opioid addiction. He established the OPSC, and charged the committee with seeking input from the public.

The Tribune was wrong. Medicine often involves a risk to the patient.

Please note: This version of the blog originally appeared as an op-ed in the Salt Lake City Tribune on December 10, 2017.

The Tribune was wrong. Medicine often involves a risk to the patient.

The Salt Lake Tribune published an editorial on Sunday Nov 12, 2017, “Medical professionals need to play a role in opioid crisis.” The first line reads, “First do no harm.” According to the editorial, physicians who prescribe opioids to treat pain patients may be violating the Hippocratic Oath, because “a doctor’s first concern is to not do anything to make things worse.”

Digital Pills and Other Medical Adherence Technology

The Future of Medicine

The future of medicine may have arrived, and it has its benefits — but it might also create an Orwellian, Big Brother culture.

All medical developments are meant to solve a problem. It is estimated that as often as 80% of the time, patients fail to use medication as directed for some diseases. According to The Atlantic, nonadherence (or noncompliance), in general, costs Americans between $100 billion to $289 billion a year. That has led to considerable research focusing on how to improve patients’ compliance.

The DEA Raids the Offices of My Friend and Colleague, Dr. Tennant

DEA Raids Offices of a Prominent Pain Physician

According to Pain News Network, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has conducted a raid on the offices of Dr. Forest Tennant, “confiscating all of his patient records, appointment books and financial documents.”

A prominent California-based pain physician, Dr. Tennant is a valued friend and colleague. Unfortunately, I know what he is going through. It happened to me, too.

A DEA Raid on Another Pain Specialist’s Offices

I tell the whole story in my book, The Painful Truth, but here’s the abbreviated version. On Friday, August 27, 2010, nine men and women — some carrying guns, and all wearing black jackets emblazoned with either “DEA” or “POLICE” — trooped, unannounced, into the Lifetree Clinic’s offices. It was a raid.

Revealing the Hidden Pain Crisis

Our Perception of Pain Depends on Time and Culture

Pain seems universal and irrefutable. Surprisingly, though, our perception and treatment of pain have always depended on time and culture.

Currently, pain isn’t considered to be as important as the opioid crisis. The voices of people in pain are often ignored. Sometimes, those who have pain are silenced because they fear the consequences — which may include losing their job, their friends, or their status — of telling their stories. That amounts to as many as 100 million Americans who may be actively hiding their pain, and who may feel isolated from a culture that stigmatizes chronic pain patients.

« Previous Page