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Pop Quiz! Are You Flu-ent on Prevention? A-choose Wisely

The holiday season approaches, but so does the gift that will not stop giving — flu season. While the influenza virus can circulate at any time of the year, flu season peaks from December to February. The flu is a serious illness that can lead to pneumonia, bacterial infections, hospitalization, or worse. Take our quiz…
Brimming With Hope

Mother of T1D Uses Cups of Hope to Raise Awareness by REBEKAH PIERCE It’s the little things in life that make it so meaningful – and for families affected by type 1 diabetes, it might truly be as simple as sharing a good cup of coffee. Katie Schmid started the Polk County chapter of Cups…
Where AI Meets Awareness

AdventHealth’s GRACE Helps With Early Detection of Breast Cancer by REBEKAH PIERCE October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while we’ve known for many years that awareness and early detection can help save lives, it’s always been an “easier said than done” situation. Like many cancers, breast cancer is notoriously hard to detect and can…

Cautions for two of your favorite summer activities

SPRING IS THE TIME OF YEAR in Florida when temperatures begin to warm and the weather is perfect outside. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, this beautiful weather also marks the beginning of swimming season for Polk’s residents. Swimming and boating are two of the most popular summer activities for people living…
The Heart of the Matter: Recommendations from the USPSTF for low-dose aspirin use

LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN has long been a therapy for those with a risk of cardiovascular disease, and studies have shown it to be effective at lowering the risk of colorectal cancer as well. However, aspirin also has been shown to have health dangers, such as increasing the risk for bleeding in the stomach and intestines and…
Healthy Cook: Adding on calories when your senior loved one is too thin

BEING A FEW POUNDS overweight can be a pain in the patootie. That can often be solved by using the simple food equation: calories in versus calories out. On the other hand, people who are too slim and can’t gain weight often have no patootie to speak of. Their challenge of putting on a few…