Editor's Note, Volume 10 Issue 6

D’Arcy Little, MD, CCFP, FCFP, FRCPC Medical Director, JCCC and HealthPlexus.NET

I am pleased to introduce the last issue of 2020 of the Journal of Current Clinical Care.

Dr. Eugene Wai, and Naazish Shariff present Community Resources for Management of Back Pain. Back pain is a community level health problem because of the high prevalence and burden on patients, health care and society. Many aspects of back management, such as exercise and psychosocial stress management, are suitable for a community model of care. Community models for back pain are in their infancy but lessons learned from other chronic diseases can be applied and will be discussed. This review will discuss existing evidence-based community programs, such as Exercise is Medicine® and the Stanford Model, that support exercise and self-management, and their relevance to low back pain.

In their article, When to Scratch Beyond the Surface of the Diagnosis—a look at atopic dermatitis mimickers and their response to topical corticosteroids, Drs. Briar Findlay and Joseph M. Lam review atopic dermatitis (AD), a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease in children. Onset of AD most commonly occurs before 6 months of age with peak prevalence rates at 18 months of age. Despite the high prevalence of AD, mimickers can pose diagnostic and treatment challenges. The article will describe common mimickers of AD seen in pediatrics and will detail similarities, distinguishing features and typical responses to topical corticosteroids.

In our new interactive section Clinical Quizzes Dr. Pradeep Shenoy submitted a first quiz to challenge our readers. Read the case and answer the following questions What is your diagnosis? What is your line of treatment? The correct answers will be provided once the answers are submitted.

Dr. Michael Gordon, offers a medical narrative for a lighter holiday read. He draws on personal experiences for his article on Retirement Mythology and Fulfillment. Over the past few years there has been a growing awareness that retirement is not all that its cracked up to be as people begin to realize that rituals of work have other attributes that people need for self-satisfaction and self-awareness. It's important to keep in mind that the concept of moving to some other activity or activities that brings personal satisfaction, social interaction and a reason to get up each morning and participate in life's challenges, hardships and joys.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition. Wishing you a very happy holiday season!