October 4, 2024 — Caution is wise when observational studies compete for our attention. But this one, from JAMA Network Open, is intriguing. In a recent analysis of 33,006 persons with both type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder, researchers found a signal that semaglutide might lower the risk of opioid overdoses by as much as two-thirds. “It’s a […]
August 18, 2023 — “Of the following what do you think is the number one threat to American public health at this moment?” Given a list that included guns, alcohol, cancer, COVID, obesity, opioids, smoking, driving, or something else, three top choices were clear. Opioids (chosen by 26%), obesity (23%), and guns (20%) outpaced everything else. The others were […]
July 23, 2019 — The trend is unmistakable now. Life expectancy in the U.S. is stalling. A new analysis in Population and Development Review brings a fresh perspective to this troubling trend. The foundations lie in rural white America and the fuels for these trends are obesity, opioids, and smoking. Poor Prospects for Rural, Non-Hispanic Whites Irma Elo and […]
October 7, 2018 — Just a few years ago, the debate was still going strong. “This is not a disease. People have the capacity to take control of their lives. It’s a disorder of choice.” Sound familiar? In 2010, Harvard’s Gene Heyman made these arguments against dealing with addiction as a disease in a popular book from the Harvard […]
