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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.…

Wine: Good or Bad for Your Teeth?

Wine is a favorite beverage of many people, and the various studies indicating wine’s heart healthfulness have been greeted with cheers. However, while the antioxidants in certain wines may be good for your heart, it doesn’t speak as to whether wine is good for your teeth or not. WINE’S NEGATIVES Wine is a highly acidic…
The Four Killer ‘Bs’ of Health

Do you know your health numbers? There are four numbers that can help paint a better picture of your health, and this is something you should be discussing with your primary care physician. We like to call them the “Four Killer Bs”— but don’t be scared! When kept in check with proper preventive steps, these…
Pilonidal Cysts— A Pain in the . . .

Pilonidal cysts and sinuses are conditions that occur from hairs growing downward into the skin and deeper tissues, usually in the region of the lower back and tailbone. Pilonidal cysts occur in 26 out of every 100,000 patients. They are three times more common in males and tend to show up in the late teens…