NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Oral synthetic cannabis products that have a high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD) ratio, as well as extracted cannabis products with comparable THC-to-CBD ratios, may provide moderate, short-term improvements in chronic pain, a large systematic review of relevant research suggests.1 However, these products are also associated with higher risks for side effects,…
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How Our Thinking Impacts Our Judgment
Let’s start with a couple of short riddles: What question can you never answer “yes” to? Which word does not belong in the following list: stop cop mop chop prop or crop? [The answers appear at the end of this article.] Riddles are designed to make us think beyond the obvious answer. There is usually…
Total Knee Replacement Cost-Effective, Even with Obesity & Comorbidities
(Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement surgery can be a cost-effective procedure for patients with severe obesity and osteoarthritis (OA), even when they also have comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers did a cost-benefit analysis for two patient populations (over 65 years, and age 50 to 65) who had…
Neti Pots, Nurse Ambassadors & American Healthcare
Just YouTube it. As a rheumatologist who sees many patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), I have spent a significant portion of my life talking to people about neti pots. Originally, the neti pot was part of the Ayurvedic tradition. Neti pots were used to flush the sinuses with water, milk and ghee, or to…
Virtual Reality Therapy Is Feasible for Rheumatology Patients
A recent pilot study explores the feasibility of virtual reality-based pain interventions for people with rheumatic conditions.1 Although the work is in its early stages, it may someday represent a new non-pharmacological tool for patients with chronic pain. VR for Treatment R. Swamy Venuturupalli, MD, FACR, is an associate clinical professor of medicine at the…
FDA Provides 2020 Rheumatology Drug Update
Three FDA representatives discuss new drug indications, safety precautions and label changes, & an emergency program to rapidly evaluate existing immunomodulating therapies for use in COVID-19 patients.
High Opioid Prescription Rates Seen in Emergency Department-Treated Gout
Acute gout can be very painful, causing patients to seek treatment in the emergency department. A retrospective study of pain interventions for gout in Rhode Island found that nearly 30% of patients received prescriptions for opioid medications over 30 months. Of these prescriptions, over 80% were for patients who had never been exposed to opioids…
Rheumatology Health Educators Educate & Empower Patients
As a health educator at Integrative Rheumatology, a private practice in Charlotte, N.C., Latisha Williams, MPH, CHES, CHC, works with patients to teach them how to better manage their disease. In the two-and-a-half years that Ms. Williams has worked at Integrative Rheumatology, she’s answered countless questions about exercise, nutrition and complementary therapies, among other topics. “Patients…
Nerve Growth Factor Inhibitor Study Highlights Promise as an OA Pain Treatment
A study highlights the potential of fasinumab, an anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody, as a pain treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Research into the risks and benefits of this therapeutic class for OA are ongoing…
Tips for Understanding the Pathways of Pain & Choosing Treatments
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—The science underlying the neurobiology of chronic pain isn’t something rheumatologists often think about. However, pain is an important reason why patients see a rheumatologist. At the 2020 ACR Winter Symposium in January, Leslie Crofford, MD, gave two presentations addressing pain experienced by rheumatology patients, including a session on the fundamental mechanisms of…
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