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Results of a small clinical trial conducted at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Sinus Center suggest a new therapeutic approach to treating chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps. The study found that verapamil hydrochloride, currently used to treat cluster headache and cardiovascular disease...
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There is a special report from the online journal STAT that reviews the dimensions of the crisis in opioid prescribing for patients with chronic pain. While not breaking new ground in the discussion, the report offers a succinct roundup of the different points of view on this issue of central...
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Clinicians at Seattle Children’s Hospital report that they have brought pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) into remission using diet alone. Of the first time advance, lead researcher and gastroenterologist David Suskind, MD, asserted, “This changes the paradigm for...
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What I have found in the research as well as from my clinical experience has been that adolescents are often paired with pediatric and geriatric populations in the studies as well as treatment. But adolescents differ in many ways on biopsychosocial and spiritual levels. Biologically, the brain is...
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UDT is the preferred tool in patient centered care, and is increasingly important in risk management. Heit and Gourlay discuss how it can offer clinicians insight into patient identification, treatment, and monitoring, and provide objective data for risk evaluation.
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Methadone is an outstanding analgesic. It has a long half-life which can be very tricky of course, but it gives the patient the flexibility of only having to take their analgesic twice a day. It also has multiple mechanisms of action over and above the other opioids. It’s a mu receptor agonist but...
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Worker’s Compensation patients differ from the average group health claim. Most people on Worker’s Compensation have had some kind of a physical injury that has led to a chronic pain condition. Whereas in group health claims for pain therapy it’s much more focused on management of diseases of either...
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Number 1, you’re doing a urine test for the patient, not to the patient. It’s to increase communication, not decrease communication. You have to know what question you’re trying to answer with a urine drug test.The test is an important tool but it’s just a tool and you have to know its strength and...
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Urine testing is very good at doing some things but I think we have to be careful that we don’t extend the science of urine drug testing beyond what it’s good for. Really what it’s good for is, as Howard says, opening a dialogue; facilitating a difficult, in some cases impossible, subject to broach...
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One of the things to keep in mind about good communication is really being in the room with your patient--really listening. I know that can be quite difficult for some specialties these days especially with mandated reporting on computers and such, but it is so important especially for teenagers to...