It’s so sad that even a place like Georgetown University is hosting a quack like Kolodny.
https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/medthread/
Click to access R3D%20Abstracts.pdf
Also speaking at the conference:
Managing chronic pain: A case study of the potential of comparative effectiveness research
Carolyn Clancy MD, Department of Veterans Affairs
http://www.news8000.com/news/va-to-release-opiate-management-tool-ahead-of-tomah-results/31691556
Dr. Carolyn Clancy, interim secretary for health for the Department of Veterans Affairs, announced the new Opioid Therapy Risk Report on Monday. Clancy said it will allow doctors to better monitor their patients’ opiate prescriptions, as the report allows VA providers to review all pertinent clinical data related to pain treatment in one place…
Clancy said since the VA established the Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) in 2012, there are currently:
91,614 fewer patients receiving opioids;
29,281 fewer patients receiving opioids and benzodiazepines together;
71,255 more patients on opioids that have had a urine drug screen to help guide treatment decisions;
67,466 fewer patients on long-term opioid therapy
I can see that there are a lot of veterans out there who are now suffering and part of the war against pain patients. Funny that these statistics say nothing about how veterans in pain are handling this change in treatments, just highlighting decreases in the use of prescription medications.
http://wuwm.com/post/congressional-hearing-alleged-painkiller-abuse-tomah-va-starts-monday
Carolyn Clancy, Interim Under Secretary for Health for the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, recently told the Senate Veterans Committee that the number of veterans who suffer from chronic pain appears daunting. She put the rate, among those returning from service in the Middle East, at 60 percent…
“Here is an instance of excessive quantities of a particular drug doing absolutely horrific damage to our nation’s heroes,” according to Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who serves on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee… “We know that 22 veterans everyday commit suicide, and many of them have suffered from over-prescription of opioids.
Blaming the suicide rate on opioids doesn’t really address the fact that veterans are suffering because politicians sent them to war in the first place. They’ve returned broken and damaged, both physically and mentally, and to deny them treatment is just plain cruel. Once again, the problem is not drugs.
Dr. G. Caleb Alexander says some VAs have been leaning away from the use of narcotics to control pain, when possible. “Things such as physical therapy or biofeedback or acupuncture and the like. To some degree, it depends on the type of pain,” Alexander said.
Tell me, Dr. Alexander, how successful are these treatments compared to pain medications? Sounds like you’re just asking for an increase in the suicide rate for veterans, especially since the VA refuses to prescribe medical cannabis.
All Things Chronic 