July

The article by Warburton and colleagues [BCMJ 2016;58:210-218] reports on the risk-benefit paradox of exercise. There is a transient increase in short-term risk for an adverse cardiac event with vigorous exercise and a reduction in long-term risk for chronic disease and premature mortality with relatively small amounts of exercise.

Colleague Dr C., while trying to clear his desk before going on vacation, got frustrated with the endless requests for more information about a Special Authority request and jotted, “Quit wasting my time!” on the paper. His MOA faxed the form. The civil servant at the Ministry of Health forwarded the note to the College, with a cover letter asking, “Is this professional behavior?” The College sent the correspondence to Dr C., asking for an explanation. On his return from vacation, Dr C. was greeted with the letter on yellow paper from the College.

Of course it had to happen when I was least prepared for it—that is, my need to seek urgent care. As a card-carrying member of the system that provides that care, I confess that I had a degree of wariness about how I would be treated, and feared the worst. To my great pleasure, that proved to be far from the truth. I received kind, timely, and considerate care, and consequently was proud both of my profession and of the colleagues who work alongside us.

Fifty came and went and I smiled to myself as presbyopia was nowhere to be seen; then came 51. I distinctly remember the day those tiny sutures were in focus from afar but so indistinct close up. The Modern Man three pack of 1.25 readers from Costco was an easy fix. I keep a pair in each exam room and at my desk, initially for close-up examinations, but I must admit that I seem to wear them more and more.