Nation

Senate Probe Targets Drug Makers, Pain Organizations and Pain Physicians

May 9, 2012
uscapitol

A U.S. Senate investigation of the pharmaceutical industry targets some of the nation’s most prominent drug makers, medical organizations and pain physicians who advocate the use of narcotic painkillers. Citing an “epidemic of accidental deaths and addiction” caused by opioid painkillers, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent letters [...]

Teenage Marijuana Use Rising

May 2, 2012
marijuana2

The number of American teenagers regularly using marijuana has risen sharply since 2008, according to a national survey by The Partnership at Drugfree.org. Over one in four teens have used marijuana in the past month and 1.5 million teens smoked marijuana heavily – at least 20 times a month. The last time regular use of [...]

West Virginia Uses OxyContin Settlement Money to Build Gym

April 30, 2012
wvapolice

In 2001, Darrell McGraw Jr.,West Virginia’s attorney general, filed a civil case against Purdue Pharma, maker of a controversial and highly addictive drug, alleging that the pharmaceutical company had engaged in “coercive and deceptive” marketing of OxyContin. McGraw charged that Purdue had used “misleading advertisements and had promoted the inappropriate use of OxyContin for minor pain.” [...]

You Messed with the Wrong Mom!

April 24, 2012
Marianne Skolek

Editor’s note: We are pleased to welcome Marianne Skolek as a columnist to American News Report. Marianne is an activist and investigative reporter who has a unique personal perspective on chronic pain and pain management. This is her first column. Ten years ago I was a mom, an administrative/computer specialist for a large engineering company [...]

Americans Cutting Back on Health Care Spending

April 19, 2012
cuttinhealthcarespend

The sluggish economy has forced millions of Americans to reduce spending on shopping, entertainment and travel. And a new survey reveals they are also cutting back on health care. The study by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) found more than half of those surveyed (57.3%) considered their budgets first before making health care decisions. Nearly [...]

Dr. Daniel Bennett Joins American News Report to “Take Back Medicine”

April 15, 2012
Dr. Daniel Bennett

American News Report is very pleased to announce that Daniel Bennett, MD, DABPM, is joining us as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Bennett, who is an interventional spine and pain surgical physician, is a founder and past chairman of the National Pain Foundation.  He heads the Integrative Treatment Centers for pain management in Denver, Colorado. Dr. [...]

A State of Pain: Over 80% of Floridians Living with Pain

April 13, 2012
FLpain

A crackdown on prescription drug abuse may be helping Florida shed its image as the “Oxy Express,” but many of its residents are still living in a state of pain. New research by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) found that 83% of Floridians say they or someone they care for has experienced pain in the [...]

Kickbacks and Other Abuses “Rampant” in Drug Testing Industry

April 6, 2012
lab300

A multimillion dollar settlement paid by a Massachusetts drug test laboratory for an illegal kickback scheme is the latest chapter in an industry bedeviled by criminal investigations, lawsuits, finger pointing and ruthless competition. Calloway Laboratories agreed last week to pay $20 million to settle state charges that it defrauded Medicaid with a kickback scheme that [...]

Painkiller Research Moving at a Snail’s Pace — Literally

April 6, 2012
snail

Cone snails are by many accounts extraordinary predators of the sea. While lying hidden in mud on the ocean floor, these deadly sea snails use their proboscis, which wiggle in a worm-like fashion, to attract fish. Once a curious fish draws close, the snail swiftly sends out a tooth-like harpoon, which injects the fish with [...]

Coalition Urges Obama to End “War” on Medical Marijuana

April 6, 2012
medmarijuana

A coalition of drug reform organizations is asking President Obama to end what it calls a “war” on medical marijuana patients and providers. In a letter to the president, the coalition called recent federal action against medical marijuana distributors “misguided and counterproductive.” Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states and the District of Columbia to [...]

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