We all experience pain at some point, but is eliminating all pain the right thing to do? Dr. Anna Lembke is the author of Drug Dealer, MD, a book that explores the many surprising factors that contribute to the current epidemic of opioid abuse in America. In today’s episode of the Nutrition Heretic Podcast, we’ll learn why patients become addicted, how drug companies contribute to the problem and how doctors have gotten caught up in the system.
Dr. Lembke received her undergraduate degree in Humanities from Yale University and her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed a residency in Psychiatry, and a fellowship in mood disorders, both at Stanford, and is currently Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and commentaries, and is author of the book: Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop.
Highlights from today’s episode:
- 05:07 ~ Who is responsible for America’s addiction to opioids?
- 06: 37 ~ A typical doctor’s training in pain management and managing professional patients.
- 11:48 ~ Health benefits of experiencing pain.
- 13:46 ~ Problems with switching from one addiction to another.
- 16:35 ~ How the body’s reward mechanism encourages addictive behaviors.
- 28:08 ~ How poverty, disability and other social structures contribute to addiction.
- 39:38 ~ The making of professional patients.
- 45:42 ~ The people who really suffer because of addicted patients.
- 56:42 ~ Approaches to helping patients overcome addiction.
- 59:10 ~ Why education may not prevent addiction and what to do instead.
- 1:05:25 ~ Dr. Lembke’s work training other physicians.
- 1:10:50 ~ How standard methods of assessing pain may discourage patients from feeling better.
- 1:12:05 ~ The power of being a “the last of the great warriors”
Other Links In This Episode:
- Are you missing the mark on spirituality? Get “Spiritual as Hell” with JP Sears
- Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop
- Frenching Your Food: 7 Guilt-Free French Diet Tips to Slim Down, Look Younger and Live Longer without Calorie Counting or Strenuous Exercise
- George Koob, Drugs, Addiction, and the Brain
- The Connection Between Diet and Mood; Julia Ross, author of The Diet Cure and The Mood Cure
- Will the Real Protein Please Stand Up; Julia Ross, author of The Diet Cure and The Mood Cure – Part II
