
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. from NYT Health https://ift.tt/2P0xdct

Researchers believe that new DEA rules that made prescription refills tougher to get, surgeons who worried about a patient's longer-term pain control simply ordered a larger number of pills so the patient had a "stockpile" of opioids to use at home.
Researchers have discovered a new subtype of multiple sclerosis, in which neurons die but there appears to be no damage to the myelin, the fatty, protective covering on nerve cells. The discovery changes the way scientists have understood the disease.

It's not life-threatening, but there are no reliable treatments, and it can make your life much worse. There isn't even good information on how many people are walking around asking co-workers or spouses: “What is that smell?” It’s phantosmia- smelling things that aren’t there -- and one in 15 Americans have it.