In a new study, researchers found that the herb kratom is increasingly being used to manage pain and treat opioid addiction, but it’s not safe to use as an herbal supplement. The research was conducted by a team from Binghamton University, State University of New York. Kratom is an herbal supplement derived from a plant …
Popular herb for pain and addiction treatment may be dangerousRead More »
PHOENIX — America’s drug crisis is taking a deadly toll on a group you might not expect. A recent report from the Center for Disease and Control shows the number of “middle-aged” women who died of overdose has quadrupled since 1999. Staff at addiction treatment centers in the Valley are also reporting a spike in …
CDC: Middle-aged women are fastest growing segment of addicts who have overdosedRead More »
The day each of us received our licenses from the Drug Enforcement Administration, we were able to write prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl, two drugs that have fueled the opioid overdose epidemic. But we couldn’t prescribe buprenorphine, a far safer partial opioid that is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder, without getting additional training, …
Deregulating buprenorphine prescribing for opioid use disorder will save livesRead More »
Federal prosecutors are charging 60 doctors, pharmacists, medical professionals and others in connection with alleged opioid pushing and health care fraud, the Justice Department said Wednesday. The charges came less than four months after the Justice Department dispatched experienced fraud prosecutors across hard-hit regions in Appalachia. The cases involve more than 350,000 prescriptions for controlled …
Nearly 60 Doctors, Other Medical Workers Charged In Federal Opioid StingRead More »
A breakthrough test developed by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers to measure pain in patients could help stem the tide of the opioid crisis in Indiana, and throughout the rest of the nation. A study tracked hundreds of participants at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis to identify biomarkers in the …
New blood test for pain may help fight opioid crisisRead More »
Complementary practices such as meditation and mindful breathing helped patients manage chronic pain and in some cases reduced the need for medication such as opioids, according to a study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). The research was presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals annual meeting. “Opioid misuse and addiction …
Meditation could help manage chronic pain and reduce opioid useRead More »
The availability of life-prolonging treatments such as hormonal therapies and other targeted chemotherapy has led to a sharp decline in breast cancer deaths in the United States. But despite these advances, there’s a troubling discrepancy in America. Breast cancer death rates continue to remain abnormally high in the Appalachian region of the United States, …
Beating breast cancer only to die of opioid use – a sad Appalachian storyRead More »
In the U.S. 115 people die from opioids every day. The number of opioid overdoses increased fivefold from 1999 to 2016. While increased funding for resources like Narcan has helped—the opioid overdose-reversing drug now carried by emergency responders in cities throughout the country—changes to standard healthcare practices are still sorely needed. Ashwin A Patkar, …
Thirty-year-old Madelyn Linsenmeir, pictured on one of her routine walks with son Ayden. “Her addiction didn’t define her, but it did define the way she lived,” Linsenmeir’s sister, Kate O’Neill, wrote in an obituary that moved readers nationwide this week. Courtesy of Maura O’Neill Every day, the opioid epidemic claims an estimated 115 lives. But …
The Viral Obituary Of An Opioid Addict: ‘She’s Just One Face’ Of The EpidemicRead More »
Some sixty “Opioid Overdose Kits” have been added defibrillator boxes in Bridgewater State University dorms and academic buildings like this one. Tovia Smith / NPR As the opioid epidemic has escalated around the nation, colleges and universities have been spared the brunt of it. Opioid addiction and overdoses are more rare on campuses than among …
On College Campuses, Making Overdose Medication Readily AvailableRead More »
