Prince's doctor disciplined by Minnesota medical board
MINNEAPOLIS _ A doctor who provided medical care to Prince at the time he died of an opioid drug overdose has been disciplined for surreptitiously providing addictive painkillers to the pop star in someone else's name.
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice issued a $4,648 fine to Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg for medical ethics and record-keeping violations as well as for hindering its initial inquiry into the doctor's prescribing of drugs to Prince, who was found dead from an opioid overdose in his home in April 2016.
The board order approving the disciplinary action only identifies Prince as "Patient #1" and Kirk Johnson, his longtime friend who obtained prescriptions for him, as "Patient #2." But it describes circumstances that were widely reported following Prince's death and revealed in search warrants and other law enforcement documents regarding his death investigation.
Schulenberg initially told authorities with the state medical board that he didn't know, when prescribing painkillers to Johnson, that they were actually for Prince. However, his story changed when meeting with board authorities again last August and discussing one clinic visit.
Whether Prince took the opioid painkillers prescribed by Schulenberg is unclear. His overdose death was linked to other counterfeit pills that looked like common painkillers but actually contained fentanyl, a far more potent and dangerous synthetic opioid.
Reports revealed that Prince had been taking opioids to manage chronic hip pain, and that he suffered a near-fatal overdose days before his death when flying back from a concert in Atlanta. No criminal charges were filed in his death.
_ Star Tribune (Minneapolis)___
Sorry, meat lovers: New research confirms health risks, clashes with last year's optimistic report
CHICAGO _ Eating red and processed meat is linked to higher rates of heart disease and death, says a large new study _ a finding that would be met with a big "duh" if it didn't come on the heels of a controversial report suggesting people don't necessarily need to eat less meat.
The new research, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that eating two servings of red meat or processed meat weekly is associated with a 3% to 7% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack and stroke, and a 3% higher risk of death from all causes.
Eating two servings of poultry weekly was also linked to higher heart disease risk, but not overall mortality, said the study, which was conducted by researchers at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The study's authors urged more research on poultry before making any recommendations on intake because the study didn't look at how the food was prepared, such as grilled or fried.
Fish was not associated with ill health effects.
The findings are consistent with prior research that has linked meat with poor health outcomes, but can feel like whiplash given a report, published in October in the Annals of Internal Medicine, that said there is insufficient evidence to recommend people reduce meat intake. Some public health experts questioned the accuracy of those conclusions and some of the authors were later called out for not disclosing industry funding on other projects.
The report's authors included researchers from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and McMaster University in Canada, among others.
_ Chicago Tribune
