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Local Experts Weigh-In On the Fight Against Heart Disease

By Matt Norman It is a common misconception that heart disease is a men’s problem. While this is a major problem for men, it doesn’t mean women are safe. In fact, 1 in 3 female deaths each year is a result of heart disease or stroke. This means one death every 80 seconds. As an…
Wake Up to Sleeping Disorders

Sleep Apnea Puts Your Heart Health At Risk by Catherine Cervone If you snore so loudly you’re constantly waking your partner up, you’re falling asleep at the wheel, or you’re having extreme fatigue throughout the day, you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is most noticeable when you’re sleeping, though it usually is not recognizable…
Pop Quiz: Physical Activity Recommendations for a Healthy Heart

By Erika Aldrich Heart health is on a lot of people’s minds during the beginning of the year, but it should be a major focus year-round as heart disease is this nation’s leading killer of both men and women. Heart disease accounts for nearly one in four deaths in this county. Although many cases of…

Signs & symptoms: When your skin needs medical attention

As a surgeon who often treats and cares for patients whose ailments of the skin have gone too long without medical attention, I’d like to talk about the importance of seeing a doctor right away if you find abnormalities on the skin. I hope people can be aware that it is not only important…
Body, mind & spirit: Integrating primary and behavioral care

When you go to the doctor complaining of stomach pain, you probably don’t expect your problem to be depression. But it just may be. When you complain of headache, clumsiness, dizziness, shakiness, blurred vision, tingling around the mouth and seizures, you might expect an anxiety or bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. You may be surprised if…
Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular health

Dr. Sean P. O’Rourke is a board-certified cardiologist at Watson Clinic. With a subspecialty in cardiovascular disease, Dr. O’Rourke often sees patients suffering from heart disease. He took the time to answer some questions about heart disease, which has a higher death rate in Polk County than in the rest of Florida. Health…