2011 December — BJC Health Connected Care

Merry Xmas! 3

By Dr Irwin Lim, Rheumatologist

It’s past 9pm and the 3 kids are in bed. I can still hear them trying hard to fall asleep. The Xmas offering to Santa & his reindeer is next to the tree. Healthy options, I might add: home-made sugar-reduced gingerbread & carrots. Unlike the gingerbread house pictured above that my wife put together with the kids & for the kids.

We’re all looking forward to the Xmas break. A big party at our place tomorrow followed by time to rest and time to reflect on another busy year which seemed to go by faster than any previous year.

My Xmas present to myself (a Keiser M3 cycle) arrived 2 days ago & it’s been put to good use.

I’ve set up a mini torture chamber, reclaiming space in the kids playroom (formally known as the living room) & this will be an important feature of this break & my new year resolutions.

Wishing you all a MERRY XMAS.

Be happy and stay safe.

Dr Irwin Lim is a rheumatologist and a director of BJC Health.

Arthritis requires an integrated approach. We call this, Connected Care. Contact us.

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Is your Health Glass Half Empty? 2

By Dr Irwin Lim

My mother-in-law is the most optimistic person I have met. She always sees the brighter side of life even when clouds are overhead and the cliff edge is close. Her glass is always half full. I think this helps her cope amazingly well but I fear that it also means a blinkered view of life.

I am, for better or worse, a glass half empty-type of person. I seem to include the worse case scenario in my decision making.

Optimism vs Pessimism.

In coping with a chronic disease, which is a better personality trait?

Is being positive about the health situation, even if that positivity leads to unrealistic expectations, a useful coping mechanism? Does having faith in a positive outcome help recovery or influence the eventual outcome?

Being negative would seem to be a bad character trait when it comes to dealing with a chronic disease. But, is it? By considering a poor outcome, will a patient be driven to be more compliant with treatment or to be more open to difficult lifestyle changes?

Some middle ground with a balanced approach is likely to be better.

I’d really be interested in your views.

Demonstrating the Modified Schober Test 3

We see a lot of patients with inflammatory back pain in our clinics. Some of these patients have Spondyloarthritis or the prototype condition, Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Given our expertise in this area, we’ve decided to create a range of videos highlighting some of the examination techniques used to help make a diagnosis. You can find these on our Youtube channel.

Rachael Butterworth, our Spondyloarthritis physiotherapist demonstrates on our model, Errol while Dr Roberto Russo facilitates.

This video is an example, and highlights the Modified Schober Test, a test commonly used to help measure the lumbar spine flexibility (or lack of).