Tag: opioid epidemic

Science-Based Satire: Florida Authorities Report First Case of Mosquito-Borne Fentanyl Overdose

Can a mosquito bite result in a fentanyl overdose? Will police soon be fitted with wearable naloxone pumps? Can fentanyl be detected by a handheld electronic device? The answer...is no. This is merely more nonsense cooked up in the mind of someone who probably should stick to his day job.

/ March 17, 2023

Legislative Alchemy 2019: Chiropractors seek scope of practice expansion, including authority to prescribe drugs

In 2019, chiropractors continued their push for practice expansion, including prescription privileges, as well as co-opting the opioid crisis to mandate physician recommendations for "chiropractic care".

/ January 30, 2020

How to make the opioid epidemic worse in Pennsylvania

Two bills are pending in the Pennsylvania legislature - SB 675 aimed at restricting prescription of buprenorphine, and HB 1005 that imposes reporting requirements in cases of suspected drug overdose. Both are a bad idea, and I hope Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf will continue his past trends of vetoing bad bills that will harm his constituents.

/ December 6, 2019

New Florida law forces physicians to endorse pseudoscience

A new Florida law forces physicians to endorse chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage as non-opioid alternatives for pain, even if the physician disagrees with that advice.

/ September 12, 2019

Just How Addictive Are Opioids?

There is an opioid epidemic, with increasing overdose deaths from both prescription drugs and illegal drugs. Just how addictive are opioids? It appears they are safe when used appropriately, but there is a high risk of abuse, and they are deadly when misused, especially OxyContin.

/ January 22, 2019

Bait and switch in Oregon: Substituting quackery for opioids for Medicaid patients

The Oregon Health Authority is on the verge of passing a radical policy that would require chronic pain patients receiving Medicaid to have their opioids tapered to zero while covering "nonpharmacologic treatments for pain" that include primarily acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, and other "alternative" treatments. Not surprisingly, the Oregon Chronic Pain Task Force, which is responsible for this proposed infliction of quackery...

/ August 30, 2018

Hypothesized benefit from integrative treatments for veterans’ chronic pain fails to materialize

Researchers hypothesized that chiropractic, acupuncture and massage would benefit veterans with chronic pain. Their results said otherwise.

/ April 12, 2018

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 05/21/2017

Choosing CAM leads to bad outcomes the world over. How deep can an acupuncture needle go? Measles continues and Minnesotans and will be welcomed in Texas. Rat rectal stimulation for Science. And more.

/ May 22, 2017

Is the FDA embracing quackery? A draft proposal recommends that doctors learn about acupuncture and chiropractic for pain management.

Chiropractors and acupuncturists have lobbied for a greater role in treating pain. They might well have won it. Last week, the FDA released proposed changes Wednesday to its blueprint on educating health care providers about treating pain, which now recommend that doctors learn about chiropractic care and acupuncture as therapies that might help patients avoid opioids. There's still time to stop this.

/ May 15, 2017