The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Reduce opioid use and pain
In 1834, Richard Henry Dana Jr. took a two-year sea voyage from Boston to California and chronicled it in his book “Two Years Before the Mast,” revealing the hardships and pain of the daring adventure.
Today, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are revealing the incredible benefits of their MAST regimen, designed to manage acute pain (say, post-surgery) while reducing the use of opioids.
Their study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that using oral acetaminophen along with naproxen, gabapentin (the only drug that required a prescription) and lidocaine patches was an effective pain management approach.
If there was breakthrough pain, then oxycodone, an opioid, was used. This significantly reduced the amount of opioids given to patients while in the hospital and reduced by 5% the number of opioid prescriptions provided when they headed home. (At the Cleveland Clinic, an unpublished study found alternative pain relief approaches can reduce opioid prescriptions by as much as 35%.)
While opioids are often needed and effective, it’s smart to limit their use whenever possible. Fortunately, MAST reduces opioid-associated risks (including gastrointestinal complications and dependency) while taking care of severe, acute pain.
So if you are going in for surgery or end up in the ER because of an accident, ask about this new approach to pain management. You can be the MASTer of your treatment. And if you do take opioids for a short time, use a pain management specialist to oversee prescriptions and doses.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare. com.
Democrats across the country celebrated New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the face of governing competence as President Donald Trump fumbled his administration’s response to the exploding pandemic last year.
Now, the Democratic governor is struggling through a sexual harassment scandal that’s testing the limits of his party’s support as Democrats grapple with one of the first political headaches of the postTrump era.
So far, few Democrats have come to Cuomo’s rescue. But they haven’t explicitly condemned him, either.
Both of New York’s Democratic U.S. senators have publicly embraced the state attorney general’s nascent investigation into Cuomo’s behavior. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday described the allegations as “deeply troubling and deeply concerning.”
And on Monday, President Joe Biden, a longtime Cuomo ally, declined to stand behind the embattled governor.
White House press secretary Jenn Psaki said the president supports the state attorney general’s probe. She noted that Biden requires people to be treated with civility and respect in his administration.
“The president’s view has been consistent and clear,” Psaki said when asked about Cuomo. “Every woman coming forward should be treated with dignity and respect.”
The scrutiny of Cuomo comes at a delicate moment as Democrats work to project unity and competence in contrast to four years of nearconstant scandal and normshattering behavior under Trump. Cuomo’s scandal also threatens the moral high ground Democrats have sought on issues related to gender and sexual harassment — which are top of mind to many women who abandoned Republicans in droves last fall to help fuel Biden’s victory.
While Democrats across the country are not rallying behind Cuomo, few are calling for him to step down. That’s in contrast to the treatment of former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, who ultimately bowed to pressure from within his own party to step down in 2018 after facing accusations of sexual impropriety from several women.
At that time, New York Sen. Kisten Gillibrand was the first Democrat to call on Franken to resign.
Republicans highlighted the relatively cautious response from some Democrats, although the GOP’s criticism of Cuomo directly was somewhat muted given the long list of sexual harassment allegations against Trump.