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Howard G. Smith, M.D. is a former radio medical editor and talk show host in the Boston Metro area. His "Medical Minute" of health and wellness news and commentary was a regular weekday feature on WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, and WMRE-AM. His popular two-way talk show, Dr. Howard Smith OnCall, was regularly heard Sunday morning and middays on WBZ.

Dr. Smith has adopted audio and video podcasting as conduits for HEALTH NEWS YOU SHOULD USE. Based on the latest medical, health, and wellness literature these reports provide practical information you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy. Many reports have video versions, and Dr. Smith’s YouTube Channel may be found at: http://bit.ly/2rNw6XQ

Trained at Harvard Medical School and a long-time faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital, he practiced Pediatric Otolaryngology for 40 years in Boston, Southern California, and in central Connecticut.  He is now based in New York City.

If you have questions or suggestions about this content, please email the doctor at drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com or leave him a message at 516-778-8864.  His website is: www.drhowardsmith.com.

Please note that the news, views, commentary, and opinions that Dr. Smith provides are for informational purposes only. Any changes that you or members of your family contemplate making to lifestyle, diet, medications, or medical therapy should always be discussed beforehand with personal physicians who have been supervising your care.

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  2. Mindfulness Fights Opioid Addiction

Mindfulness Fights Opioid Addiction

Oct 18, 2019

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/guaG2awiXAM

 

Intense focus on the here and now that is at the heart of mindfulness techniques will help control cravings for pain killers as well as the pain that necessitates their use.  Rutgers University investigators studied 30 patients with opioid addiction due to chronic pain who were participating in a methadone withdrawal program.

 

The addition of mindfulness exercises led to a 30% reduction in the participants narcotic cravings as well as their nagging pain.  Their stress levels declined while their positive thoughts escalated.

 

Complete, lasting withdrawal from narcotics using methadone maintenance is only about 50% successful.   Mindfulness therapy might just be the secret sauce to drive that statistic toward 100%.

 

Eric L. Garland, Adam W. Hanley, Anna Kline, Nina A. Cooperman. Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement reduces opioid craving among individuals with opioid use disorder and chronic pain in medication assisted treatment: Ecological momentary assessments from a stage 1 randomized controlled trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2019; 203: 61 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.07.007

 

#Opioids #methadone #mindfulness