September

It has been almost a century since Dr Alois Alzheimer first described his patient, a 51-year-old woman who had such unusual symptoms that she could not be diagnosed with any known disease. The careful clinical description of this patient was illuminating: she had a profound and progressive amnestic disorder, aphasia, alexia, and agraphia, accompanied by striking psychobehavioral symptoms that included profound agitation, expressing jealousy toward her husband, and shrieking when touched.

References

As I think back over my years of involvement with the BCMA, one of my fondest memories is of the time I spent with the Council on Health Promotion (COHP). I enjoy working toward improvements in the health care system and for those who have traditionally fallen through the cracks. When lobbying efforts bear fruit, it makes the time spent in meetings, traveling to meetings, and meeting about meetings all worthwhile.

Fate often has a nasty habit of biting you in the nether regions when you least expect it. Recently, on a rainy weekend day with a clear head and heavily encumbered with an air of ass-bite indifference, I picked up a badminton racquet and started chasing a little plastic bird. The Fates were obviously watching with gleeful anticipation because just as the four of us were going to abandon our private little arena of stupidity I slipped on a piece of wet wood that was marking out-of-bounds.

The Provincial Infection Prevention and Control Program (PIPCP), located at BCCDC Laboratory Services, offers province-wide consultation services. The program provides leadership by developing guidelines for infection prevention and control that set direction for standards of practice. PIPCP, when needed, supports health care providers in all health authorities in their efforts to prevent and control nosocomial infections or infectious disease. PIPCP also promotes and provides educational opportunities and research initiatives. 

One of the most common and perplexing problems faced by the primary care physician is the clinical management of the patient with low back pain. Roughly 60% of individuals in the population will experience low back pain in their lives,[1] yet this condition is poorly understood and often poorly managed, despite growing evidence that demonstrates the value of the physical examination in low back pain management.