Category: Pain Management

Euphoria-free pain relief: A gabapentin alternative you’ve been waiting for?

A groundbreaking discovery in pain management could revolutionize how we treat chronic pain. In a report from a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at New York University, in collaboration with colleagues…

Uncovering the real story behind opioid prescriptions and deaths

As a non-clinician patient advocate and health care writer, I am frequently reminded of a quotation attributed to Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain): “Figures don’t lie. But liars figure.” I am also aware of a second quotation from economist…

Redefining medical caution: How recent studies challenge benzodiazepine prescription norms

I want to draw your attention to two fairly recent studies. One of these is the BIND study. I love it when studies use easy-to-remember acronyms because it really helps to keep them straight. The BIND study found that “Many prolonged symptoms sub…

Confusing correlation with causation: the most common error in science

The universe can be a very confusing place. Quite often, things will happen together or one-after-another that will cause even learned people to connect two events as causative when they are not. These misattributions are not just of academic concern. …

What the DEA does not understand or does not care about medication cessation decisions

Reports sent back to Washington during the Vietnam War made it clear to everyone. The U.S. was winning. There could be no debate or doubt. It was right there in the numbers. When searching for a metric to measure “success,” U.S. politicians…

Medication-assisted therapy and opioid use disorder [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join physician Jill Becker as we delve into the world of medication-assisted therapy (MAT) for opioid use disorder. Discover why MAT is crucial, the challenges patients face, and how Jill&#…

Shielding physicians: the untold story of legal preparedness

Federal and state regulators have intensified the scrutiny of physicians in recent years in response to mounting overdose rates and the corresponding rise in mortality. Many in health care see this as a good thing. They would be wrong. Look no further …

Shielding physicians: the untold story of legal preparedness

Federal and state regulators have intensified the scrutiny of physicians in recent years in response to mounting overdose rates and the corresponding rise in mortality. Many in health care see this as a good thing. They would be wrong. Look no further …

AI enforcement in health care: Unpacking the DEA’s approach to the opioid epidemic

In 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions became convinced that the opioid crisis was not the fault of cartels smuggling fentanyl across porous American checkpoints. And it wasn’t due to pharmaceutical companies corrupting drug approval officials a…

What the media gets wrong when reporting on “overprescribing”

A recent article in the Macomb Daily reported that a “Shelby Township doctor was convicted last Thursday of all counts for conspiring to distribute more than 300,000 opioid prescription pills valued at over $6 million, following a trial in U.S. D…