Paducah Sun looks at two local doctors who write many prescriptions for painkillers; such local data are easily available

The Paducah Sun has used some easily available information about two local doctors to shine a local light on their heavy prescribing of opioids.

The story by Laurel Black begins, "As narcotic painkiller abuse has drawn more public attention, two Paducah physicians – who have been ranked high among prescribers of such drugs – have found themselves defending their practices."

The story cites The Courier-Journal's analysis of 2012 Medicare data that showed Dr. Yogesh Malla of Paducah was "the No. 3 prescriber of narcotic painkillers in the commonwealth. A USA Today article listed Dr. Riley Love, also of Paducah, as 20th in the nation. Both reports used information the news organization ProPublica obtained under the Freedom of Information Act."

The Sun offers a quick retort from the medical director of the pain-management center where Malla practices, paraphrasung him as saying "the reports omit or minimize important factors, such as the specialty of the physicians and the morphine equivalence of the drugs they prescribe."

Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti also said in his written statement that his group emphasizes drugs with lower abuse potential and that more than 92 percent of patients at such centers "are already on long-term opioids; consequently, the best we can do (at these centers) is reduce the dosage."

Manchikani is CEO of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, a lobbying group that advocates monitoring of painlkiller prescriptions, and a leading contributor to a wde range of political causes. The Sun doesn't note the latter point, but focuses on the issues of painkiller abuse, a major problem in Kentucky.

"With more than 1,000 deaths per year, Kentucky in 2013 had the third-highest drug overdose mortality rate in the United States, according to the Trust for America's Health," Black notes.

As for the other doctor, the Sun reports, "ProPublica's data on Love, who practices at the Lourdes Pain Management Center, reports that 59 percent of his 1,141 patients filled one or more prescriptions for a Schedule 2 drug and 51 percent filled for a Schedule 3 drug. Both figures are above the average of 45 percent and 41 percent, respectively, for his specialty in Kentucky.

"A spokeswoman for Love said Lourdes center represents the only location in the region where Medicaid patients receive inpatient pain consultations," the Sun reports, quoting her: "The patients we see are often very sick, and the treatments and medications we provide are the last resort comfort measures so the patients can spend quality time with family" as they near death.

The story is behind the Sun's paywall.

Chiropractors cite research recommending 'conservative treatments' for low-back pain before prescribing painkillers

Recent research has questioned the effectiveness of acetaminophen for the treatment of spinal pain. In response, the American Chiropractic Association recommends that patients and health-care providers take a conservative approach to back pain. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, the commonly administered painkiller isn't helpful for diminishing low-back pain.

According to a report released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky ranks among the top five states for opiate painkiller prescriptions written per 100 people, Deborah Highland reports for the Bowling Green Daily News.

"Research supports the use of more conservative treatments as a first-line defense against pain," said ACA President Anthony Hamm. "This sensible approach not only reduces healthcare costs but may also help some patients avoid riskier treatments altogether," he said in a news release that has exercise tips, posture recommendations and injury prevention techniques to help people maintain healthy backs throughout life.

Pain and fever reducer acetaminophen, most-used drug in U.S., is found to reduce positive emotions and reduce psychological pain

Ohio State University researchers discovered a new side effect of acetaminophen, a leading over-the-counter pain reliever: it also blunts positive emotions. Other research revealed that it helps reduce psychological pain. The drug has been used in the U.S. for more than 70 years and is best known by the brand name Tylenol.

In the Ohio study, participants took Tylenol or a placebo, then looked at very pleasant or very disturbing photos. Those in the experimental group reported weaker emotions than those in the control group. On average, those who took the placebo rated their level of emotion when viewing the photos at 6.76 on a scale of 10, while people who took the pain reliever averaged 5.85.

"Rather than just being a pain reliever, acetaminophen can be seen as an all-purpose emotion reliever," said Geoffrey Durso, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student in social psychology.

Balwin Way, an assistant psychology professor who conducted the study with Durso, said those who took Tylenol didn't seem to be aware they were reacting differently. "Most people probably aren't aware of how their emotions may be impacted when they take acetaminophen," he said.

Acetaminophen, found in more than 600 medicines, is the most common drug in the U.S., according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. Every week approximately 52 million American adults, 23 percent of the population, use a medicine with acetaminophen in it. Durso said researchers don't know if other pain relievers like ibuprofen and aspirin have similar effects, but they plan to study that question.