Subjective assessments, prescription fraud and cultural variations all make pain a complicated ailment to treat.
Health
Health and lifestyle stories from the Portland Press Herald.
For sufferers, pain can invite extremes
Worrisome stories in Maine bolster the belief that people with chronic pain have a higher risk of suicide than the general population.
What science can tell us about ‘good’ vs. chronic pain
Scientists have fewer answers about long-term suffering and its complex links to the brain.
Most states ill-prepared for disease outbreaks
A new report finds that half the states and the District of Columbia scored five or lower out of a possible 10 on measures related to the prevention, diagnosis, detection and response to disease outbreaks.
Obamacare sign-ups surge before deadline
More than a million people pick plans on the HealthCare.gov website in the final week for Jan. 1 coverage.
Maine will require medical marijuana providers to issue patient ID cards
Officials say the change will improve security, deter fraud and extract the state from the patient-physician relationship.
Senate approves Obama’s surgeon general nominee
Boston physician and Harvard Medical School instructor Dr. Vivek Murthy sees gun violence as a public health issue and is a supporter of affordable health care.
Pressure’s on for Obamacare sign-ups
The administration is hoping for more than 2 million new paying customers before Monday’s deadline.
Affordable Care Act swelling ranks of self-employed, report says
Mainers tethered to jobs for insurance reasons discover that the government program’s lower costs can be a springboard to long-held dreams.
Male Idiot Theory finds men are vastly more prone to huge risks
A study finds men have won 88.7 percent of Darwin Awards.