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Healthy Foods for the Holiday Season

by TRENT ROWE, food editor Here’s to Uncle Harry. He’s your mom’s roly-poly brother who always plays Santa because he doesn’t need a pillow for padding. When it comes to dinner his favorite phrase isn’t, “ho ho ho”, but “Please pass the gravy.” It’s too bad too, because Uncle Harry is a really nice guy.…
Polk County Initiative Seeking to Instill Healthy Habits in Schools

by CHERYL ROGERS The Building a Healthier Polk School Health Team is teaching kindergarten through 12th grade students how to live healthier by making wise food choices and staying active. In an age of video games and fast foods, it’s easy to slip into bad health habits at an early age. But during…
Facts and Statistics About Arthritis

by ERIKA ALDRICH Florida may not be locked into a deep freeze during the winter months like the majority of the other U.S. states, but The Sunshine State can still experience cold temperatures during the winter months. Those periodic days of cold and freezing weather can spell pain and agony for those suffering from arthritis.…

PCMA Letter: It’s always a good time to address mental health

IN THIS EDITION (August 2015) of Central Florida Health News, medical experts weigh in on topics to help improve you or a loved one’s mental health. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a staggering one in five Americans will suffer from anxiety or depression in their lifetime.
Publisher’s Note: Depression cases in our local Medicare population

MENTAL ILLNESS can refer to several afflictions that affect the state of our minds, but usually the first one we think of is depression. While clinical depression can be caused by many individual factors (or a combination of several), there are some medical conditions that put a person at greater risk for the disease.
Family Health: Urgent vs. emergency care

WHEN A SUDDEN illness or injury strikes, it can be stressful to decide where to seek medical attention. Though your primary-care physician is the best place to start, illness and injuries don’t always occur during office hours or on schedule. It’s important to understand your options for immediate medical care before symptoms strike, as it…