In the mid-1960s, the Grateful Dead were the house band for Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests, parties in which people were “tripping out” on LSD, parties that helped bring psychedelics into the counterculture. Psychedelic drugs have been the fo…
Category: Meds
Clinicians should not overlook the benefits of botanicals and dietary supplements
A patient recently came to my office seeking antibiotics for her viral URI symptoms. After a shared decision-making discussion on using Echinacea (an immunostimulant with antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects) instead, we were able to…
Clinicians should not overlook the benefits of botanicals and dietary supplements
A patient recently came to my office seeking antibiotics for her viral URI symptoms. After a shared decision-making discussion on using Echinacea (an immunostimulant with antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects) instead, we were able to…
A game-changer in methamphetamine treatment
The standard treatment for methamphetamine poisoning is “sedate and wait.” There is no antidote to methamphetamine; instead, we typically aim to cover up the unwanted symptoms. We prescribe our favorite sedative, Ketamine or a B52 cocktail …
A true win for the DEA and society at large
In most physician prosecutions for treating pain or addiction, there is never any actual evidence of criminal intent. Just the nebulous argument that a doctor “ignored the risk of overdose,” “ignored the risk of addiction,” or p…
From conviction to appeal: a doctor’s opioid case sparks debate
A doctor in Virginia named Joel Smithers was serving a 40-year sentence in an Atlanta prison when he won his appeal to the 4th Circuit. No, he didn’t shoot someone. That’s probably 25 years. He treated patients in pain. Now, he will get a n…
The truth behind opioid use disorder
Anyone reading health care news today must be aware that American medicine – particularly pain medicine – is in crisis. Doctors are experiencing high levels of burnout due to administrative burdens, prior authorization demands, and a health care system…
Are rapid weight loss drugs hiding the real obesity problem?
According to some academics, in 2019, a ban on junk food advertising across London’s entire public transport network—foods and drinks high in fat and salt and ads for foods–resulted in the prevention of 100,000 obesity cases. Yet the U.S. love af…
Are you storing your medications wrong?
Today, I want to talk about how creative humans are. As physicians, we encounter patients with ideas that amaze us every day and make our lives interesting, to say the least. The best ones are often the elderly, who have years of experience and unique …
Are Ozempic patients on a slow-moving runaway train?
Have you ever heard of a drug called Ozempic? Just kidding. As we all know, this medicine and numerous related drugs are the rage. It is classified as a GLP-1 drug. The percentage of my patients who are taking these drugs is steadily rising. Of course,…
