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Phillip Williams Helping to Light the Way for the Blind

By LENORE DEVORE Phillip Williams was almost 15 years old when the juvenile version of macular degeneration – Stargardt disease – began to take his eyesight. What starts out robbing people of their central vision eventually leaves its sufferers blind or legally blind. “I went through the rest of high school coping with (the transition…
Feel Good 5K Set to Support Local Mental Health Initiatives

By Teresa Schiffer The Feel Good 5k is a great way to get out and show your support for one of our most valuable resources – the mental health professionals at Peace River Center. Make an impact in the lives of vulnerable children by participating in this fun event! It’s no secret that mental…
New Therapy Method Being Studied for PTSD Patients

A type of grief experts call prolonged and complicated causes some 10 million Americans to suffer, experts say. But a fairly new type of therapy is believed to offer help for many of them. Often felt by seniors who have lost their longtime spouse, this grief is characterized by an ongoing, daily yearning for the…

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…