| Article
The endocannabinoid system is something that most primary care physicians really have never heard of, and it’s a shame because the endocannabinoid 1 receptor is really the single most densely populated G-protein coupled 7 transmembrane domain receptor in the human brain. So why do we and all animal...
| Podcast
Despite high prevalence and seemingly continuous attention, the clinical challenges associated with assessing, treating, and managing patients with chronic pain continue to persist. Many different forces are at play and responsible for this frequently frustrating situation and, as is often the case...
| Article
If I ask patients how satisfied they are with their pain treatment, I think there’s an inverse correlation with whether they’re on opioids or not; and the higher the dose of opioids, the less satisfied they are. In general, I don’t think that they’re a great treatment. I think they’re reserved for a...
| Article
New research from Loyola Medicine reports that 15.4% of patients who temporarily discontinue their use of bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis subsequently experience bone fractures. Over a 6-year study period, the incidence of fracture was found to peak on years 4 and 5, and ranged from 3.7% to 9...
| Article
The hot topic with respect to practitioner groups is there seems to be a lot of denouncing of the fact that there’s too much opioid use and everyone is looking for ideas to minimize these opioids. But one of the top suggestions that people will consider is maybe nonopioid and nonpharmacologic...
| Article
Following the 2004 withdrawal of rofecoxib (Vioxx) from the market, the FDA mandated a clinical trial to determine if celecoxib (Celebrex) shared a similar elevated risk of heart-related complications. The decade long PRECISION trial (Prospective Randomized Evaluation of Celecoxib Integrated Safety...
| Podcast
2016 was not a good year to be on the wrong side of medical necessity when it came to drug testing and ongoing prescribing of controlled medication or substance abuse treatment programs. 2017 is likely to be an expensive year for those who do not proactively take steps to understand medical...
| Article
Last week, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, issued an advisory advocating for greater distribution and availability of naloxone as an element of the national response to opioid use disorder. The Surgeon General recommends that individuals at risk for opioid overdose, as well as their family...
| Article
In 2017, the state of Kentucky became the first to classify gabapentin as a Schedule 5 substance, following the finding that the drug was involved in up to 33% of overdose fatalities during the prior year. This means that prescriptions for gabapentin will be reported to the state’s PDMP going...