Medical Science: Fentanyl Holds America in its Grip as Overdose Deaths Soar

Synthetic opioids like fentanyl claim more than 150 lives daily in the United States, the CDC reports. And the DEA reports a study of fake prescription drugs revealed 6 out of 10 pills analyzed contained potentially lethal amounts of fentanyl.

Dr. Paul Christo, Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has been on the frontlines battling the opioid crisis.


Medical Science: COVID-19 - Do You Have Enough Life Insurance


"Fentanyl is about 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine, so you can put that into perspective in terms of its danger," Dr. Christo explained in a recent interview.

Opioids began as an effective treatment for chronic pain, but its use quickly spiraled out of control.

"In the mid-1990s, more and more practitioners were using opioids as a first-line agent to reduce pain," Dr. Christo explained. "And that, unfortunately, led to an increase in the use of opioids for chronic pain and probably increased the use for those who really didn't need them."

There's no question that the pandemic caused a troubling upward trend in addiction disorders, and a recent study predicts an additional 1.2 million drug overdose deaths in the next decade, with people in the Black community bearing the brunt of the opioid epidemic.


Health, Wellness: Why We Must Do More for Today’s Law Enforcement


Dr. Christo wants to remind those battling chronic pain or addiction that there is hope — and help — if they just know where to look for it.

"Don't give up if you have chronic pain," he said. "Because there is hope. We have nonopioid treatments that can be effective. Also don't give up if you have a substance use disorder. Talk to your primary care doctor, talk to emergency room physicians … SAMHSA is a good resource, too …Take the opportunity to use the resources that are available."

The opioid epidemic today progressed in three phases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first involves deaths caused by prescription opioids, the second, an increase in heroin use, and the third, a surge in the use of synthetic opioids or fentanyl. Experts say the U.S. is right in the middle of the third phase of the epidemic, due to the increasing availability of fentanyl and increasing rates of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids.


Health, Wellness: Mental Wellbeing Tips For Busy Men


About Dr. Paul Christo

Dr. Paul Christo serves as Director of the Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is the author of Aches and Gains, A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming Your Pain. Dr. Paul Christo also hosts an award-winning, nationally syndicated SIRIUS XM radio talk show on overcoming pain called, Aches and Gains®. For more information about Dr. Paul Christo. Please visit www.paulchristomd.com.


Health, Wellness: A Practical Guide To Planning Your Own Funeral


Haute Tease

  • CHI-RAQ Review - Spike Lee’s Timely Gangland Gun Violence Pic Hits a Bulls Eye

    CHI-RAQ, from Spike Lee and Roadside Attractions, presents a poignant, and unfortunately timely, tale on gun violence using Chicago’s South Side as ground zero in America’s newest internal war, a deadly plague, which daily and indiscriminately kills.

     
  • World News: G7 Helps Ukraine Look into the Future

    The diplomatic action led by Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 highlights a vision of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and its aftermath that aims to give Ukraine a role other than the one it occupied before the invasion.

     
  • Cold Case Murder Solved after 50 Years

    Julie Ann Hanson, 15, borrowed her brother's bicycle in July 1972 and rode off to watch a baseball game. She was never seen alive again. Now, nearly 50 years later, police have made an arrest.

     
  • World News: Macron’s New Prime Minister Gabriel Attal Faces Baptism by Fire

    French President Emmanuel Macron's new Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, confronts the current agricultural power struggle, which puts the tenant of Matignon in the spotlight, and the necessary response represents the first key test for the new PM.

     
  • WALT DISNEY Releases Two New Trailers from its 2013 Slate

    From Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise, and Walt DISNEY comes their newest collaboration THE LONE RANGER starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. WALT DISNEY/ PIXAR also released a new trailer for the summer 2013 release of the hilarious MONSTERS UNIVERSITY sequel to MONSTERS INC., in theaters this December.

     
  • Tennessee Boy Found Guilty in Murder Of Neighbor Girl

    In a story that has gained international attention, Benjamin Nicolas Tiller, 11, has been found guilty of first degree murder in the shotgun death of his neighbor, MaKayla Dyer, 8, stemming from a dispute that escalated over puppies.