Dear Patients: As 2020 comes to a close and 2021 approaches, quite a few of you have asked me what the new year will hold in terms of insurance coverage for chronic pain treatment. Until just a few years ago, this question almost never came up. However, beginning about 6 years ago, a new set… Read more »
Dear Patients: If you’ve not read my blog on the difficulties that opioid/narcotic treatment can pose, you might want to read that before this. It’ll put today’s blog into perspective. As I wrote last time, opioid/narcotic medication is an integral part of pain management. While many patients do not require them in order to obtain… Read more »
Over the years I’ve been in practice, I’ve learned a great deal, but much of it cannot be used “in general” or “across the board”. As I sometimes tell my physician colleagues in other specialties, if you’ve seen one chronic pain patient, well, then, you’ve seen one chronic pain patient. A patient’s pain is like… Read more »
Dear Patients: With winter coming, it’s time for a bit of preparation. I’d have to say that the four biggest risks my patients seem to face during winter in Michigan are: Slipping and falling on ice Gaining weight Becoming less conditioned/becoming more deconditioned Seasonal depressed mood Over the years, I’ve learned from my patients that,… Read more »
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”. Wise words from one of our greatest presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. I try to remind myself of this when I find I’m in a particularly challenging situation. As we all learn, such situations can pop up unexpectedly anywhere in our lives. For many if not… Read more »