"Oh, my aching back!" Even if you've never said it, odds are you have heard it and you will eventually say it. Back pain is one of the most common painful conditions men and women face. When it occurs, you want relief. You want the aches to stop and your life to start again.

The good news is that thanks to pioneering advances, treatment for low back pain has undergone changes — changes that get people back on their feet sooner and that help prevent back pain from returning.

Friday, January 18 will mark the deadline for all StudentCam entries. If you haven't assigned it as a project, perhaps mention it to any students that may be so inclined to participate. This year's theme is a "Message to the President." Students are asked to create a 5-8 minute documentary about the most important issue that they believe the President should address in 2013. With $50,000 in cash prizes and the chance to be interviewed and featured on national television, this is a rewarding, project-based learning experience for students. More information can be found here: www.studentcam.org

A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.

Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible.