This doesn't focus on recovery management, but a new study supports the argument that disease management saves money. In 2003, Pepsi started an employee health program that included risk assessments, on-site wellness events, lifestyle management, disease management, complex care management, telephone nurse advice lines, and maternity management. By 2011, there were 5 telephonic lifestyle programs … Continue reading Is Disease Management a Good Investment? We May Finally Have an Answer
Category: Research
Take LSD, stay out of prison? Huge study links psychedelic use to reduced recidivism
Hmmm. Some pretty breathless reporting of a recent study looking at offenders who are dependent upon hallucinogens. A study of more than 25,000 people under community corrections supervision suggests the use of psychedelic drugs like LSD can keep people out of prison. The research is the first in 40 years to examine whether drugs like LSD and … Continue reading Take LSD, stay out of prison? Huge study links psychedelic use to reduced recidivism
Feds raid Reckitt Benckiser offices; criminal probe underway
Hmmm. All is not well with the manufacturer of Suboxone. Reckitt Benckiser’s offices in Richmond, Va., were raided by a team of IRS and Office of Inspector General (OIG) agents on December 3rd. No one is saying what the feds are investigating, but here is some legal analysis. The search warrant, which company officials say … Continue reading Feds raid Reckitt Benckiser offices; criminal probe underway
For Depression Treatment, Meditation Might Rival Medication – Forbes
A new study finds mindfulness meditation to be an effective treatment for depression: On the list of ways in which meditation appears to benefit the brain, depression treatment may be the latest to gain scientific backing. A new review study, out yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine, finds that … Continue reading For Depression Treatment, Meditation Might Rival Medication – Forbes
“The only thing we heard was . . . that medication is the answer”
I recently posted on the potential harms of overtreating ADHD and its overdiagnosis. Now, the NY Times reports on problems with a study that provided the foundation for the explosion on stimulant treatment for ADHD. Twenty years ago, more than a dozen leaders in child psychiatry received $11 million from the National Institute of Mental Health … Continue reading “The only thing we heard was . . . that medication is the answer”
The Unintended Consequences Of Medical “Maximalism”
The Health Affairs blog questions the American Heart Association's maximalist approach with the use of statins. The issues sound familiar. The policy implications of these guidelines are staggering. Estimates show that if these recommendations are fully implemented, close to a third of all Americans will be placed on a statin. But these developments beg the … Continue reading The Unintended Consequences Of Medical “Maximalism”
Buprenorphine Overseas
“The history of the treatment of narcotic withdrawal is a long and dishonorable one. The trail is strewn with cures enthusiastically received and then quietly discarded when they turned out to be relatively ineffective or even worse, productive of greater morbidity and mortality… Any claim for a new method should be put forward modestly and … Continue reading Buprenorphine Overseas
Sentences to ponder
"If alcohol policies were a newly discovered gene, pill or vaccine, we'd be investing billions of dollars to bring them to market," - Dr. Tim Naimi
Treat The Symptoms Or The Cause?
This article was a good reminder that we're not the only profession struggling with whether harm-reduction should be the de facto treatment. However, it's worth noting that the statement here ("cut in half") provides considerably more information than most addicts get. A huge new study out today in The Lancet shows that reducing three … Continue reading Treat The Symptoms Or The Cause?
Pediatric use of buprenorphine
Drugfree.org has a piece advocating more use of buprenorphine with children. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for opioid dependence is a science-based and proven-effective option for teens and young adults. It should be administered with age appropriate psychosocial therapy and drug testing. Unfortunately, it has been subject to controversy and stigma. Yet the neuroscience of addiction and … Continue reading Pediatric use of buprenorphine
Recovery Review 