
Health News
Features
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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…
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Tom Grothouse Working Passionately to Educate, Prevent Pediatric Drownings
by Mary Toothman Tom Grothouse worked in the fields of education and airlines much of his life, but his most recent years have been spent teaching children life-saving skills that prevent drowning. He seems to have found his niche. The Winter Haven resident is passionate about being an Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) instructor. With its…
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Finding the Right Plan and Support System Aids Local Weight Loss Stories
by Teresa Schiffer When it comes to health and fitness, the journey is just as important as the destination. Knowing what your goals are and developing a real plan of action for achieving them is the first step on that journey. That’s what these two individuals have done, and they’re sharing their stories. From the…
Columns
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Virtual Care for Cardiac Patients
The new coronavirus sweeping the world has changed life as we know it. While there is a lot that we don’t know about the virus, we do know that people with heart and other conditions are more likely to get seriously ill from it. At the same time, all of us are concerned about patients getting…
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Health Impacts of Opioid Addiction on Patients
As a spine surgeon, I routinely see various life-threatening consequences of opioid addiction. These could include severe spinal instability and paralysis that develops from infection, that occurs due to intravenous injections of opioids — by patients who are addicted to opioids. These patients typically started by taking that single initial opioid tablet, and quickly developed…
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COVID-19 and the Heart
COVID-19 (coronavirus SARS 2) is obviously an infection that primarily affects the lungs. As we know, this is a pandemic that has affected all our lives. Does it have any cardiac issues directly or indirectly? Direct Problems COVID-19 has been known to cause weakening of the heart in some cases. Thankfully this is rare, but…