I am so proud of my friend and colleague, Dr. Richard “Red” Lawhern, the co-founder, and Director of Research of The Alliance for Treatment of Intractable Pain (ATIP.) No pun intended, but ATIP is truly at the tip of the spear in advocating for the voiceless masses of chronic pain patients who are currently sufferingContinue reading Dr. Red Lawhern Speaks for Pain Patients at the Inter Agency Task Force on Best Practices for Pain Management
Raise Awareness in your community Try this three-step plan to raise awareness where you live! Call or email your Mayor and request an official proclamation. Provide the Mayor’s office with these “whereas clauses,” or write your own. Keep them simple and to the point. Sit back and wait for your proclamation to arrive in theContinue reading The City Proclamation: A Simple Awareness Project
How the war on opioids and RESTRICTED access to cannabis is hurting chronic pain patients Around three years ago, I chartered a cannabis education non-profit organization. At the time, I had been using cannabis for seizure control for about a year. I was using CBD which was legal in my state. I had met aContinue reading Adding Reason to Rhetoric
The Face Facts blog is a very large part of my vision for the Facial Pain Advocacy Alliance. Hosting a regularly updated, topical, and timely blog is critical to our ability to help those seeking information and support. At present, there are only three Face Facts blog contributors: writers Richard A. “Red” Lawhern on OpioidContinue reading Open Call for Blog Contributors
It’s not just opioids that are getting a bad rap from the federal government and the media. There’s another remedy for chronic pain which is in peril of being banned by the FDA and classified, along with heroin, as a Schedule I drug: kratom. What Is Kratom? Kratom is a substance derived from the tropical plantContinue reading Government Ban on Kratom Still Looms Large on the Horizon
What Was Said or Missed in the FDA Opioid Policy Steering Committee Hearings? by Richard A Lawhern, Ph.D., as published in National Pain Report. Many years ago, a stand-up comic named Shelly Berman helped to immortalize a riddle told by Zen masters. “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” can have many answers. OneContinue reading What Is the Sound of One Hand Clapping?
by Richard A. Lawhern, Ph.D., as published in The Crime Report According to the best evidence we have, prescribing opioid painkillers for chronic pain patients has played only a minor role (if any) in yearly increases of overdose-related deaths. As I wrote recently in The Crime Report, “The US is now chasing the wrong epidemicContinue reading Criminalizing the Opioid Epidemic is No Way to Help Chronic Pain Sufferers
As published in The Crime Report Every first responder is familiar with the scenario. You are called to the scene of yet another drug overdose. Naloxone is administered. The comatose “victim” rouses and groggily stands up. Many refuse to be taken to hospitals and drift away. You are tempted to call out “see you againContinue reading Opioids: Chasing the Wrong “Epidemic”
Allow me to introduce Emily McSherry. Emily is the founder of Cannabis Forward which provides education pertaining to the science of cannabis to communities, legislators, and patients. As the FPAA Cannabis Legislation Reform Editor, from time to time Emily will contribute to the Face Facts blog and field your questions about cannabis for facial pain. Cannabis: A PrimerContinue reading Regarding Cannabis
