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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…
Local Mother Achieves Degree Despite Health Challenges

by TERESA SCHIFFER Britainny Palmer may look like an ordinary mother, but she struggles with health issues that few have. Despite the obstacles created by her own body, she has managed to attain a bachelor’s degree in supervision and management recently from Polk State College. It wasn’t an easy task, but with perseverance and a…

Body, Mind & Spirit: Giving thanks by giving back

What it Means to be a Foster Family Foster parents provide a safe, nurturing home for children to heal. While there are currently about 150 licensed foster homes in Circuit 10, which covers Polk, Highlands, and Hardee Counties, more are needed. According to Teri Saunders, CEO of Heartland for Children here in Polk County, “That…
Editor’s Dose: More than just comfort food

Reading this article on food “made with love” for the sick really brought back some memories. As a young teenager, my mother had to undergo open heart surgery twice within four years. She has a blood disorder that causes her body to produce too many of the clot-forming platelets. Adding to that complications of…
Body, mind & spirit

Taking Care of the Caregiver: Managing Stress that can Lead to Health Issues Caregivers or patient advocates usually spend many hours in doctor’s offices, hospitals or clinics. But beset by stress for a loved one, they may go from crisis to crisis without stopping to consider their own health. “They’re not there to just…