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More Than Man’s Best Friend

Susan Grill of Trained and Maintained Shares What Takes to be a Service or Therapy Dog by TERESA SCHIFFER They say that the dog is man’s best friend. If the dog is a service or therapy animal, that’s true in more ways than one. These special pooches save lives, provide assistance and comfort,…
Pop Quiz on Plantar Fasciitis

Putting Your Best Foot Forward on Prevention and Treatment of this Common Source of Pain by ERIKA ALDRICH Our feet are the basis of nearly everything we do, and if you experience recurring foot pain it can put a real damper on your everyday life. Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of…
Pets and Partners

Canine Heroes Help their Humans Tread with Care story by CHERYL ROGERS portraits by LUIS BETANCOURT Eighteen-year-old Hailey McDaniel’s dog, Oliver, sure knows how to get his owner’s attention. The yellow labrador whines and paces until McDaniel asks if there’s a problem. Then he’ll tap her right or left hand. McDaniel has Type 1 Diabetes,…

Medical Advice: Your flu prevention to-do list

AS YOU GATHER your “to-do” lists and prepare for the holiday season ahead, the Florida Department of Health in Polk County recommends you add one more important step — get a flu shot! The flu shot is the best way to protect our families and communities against the spread of influenza. When you make it…
Family Health: Flu shots for seniors

HE FLU is nothing to sneeze at. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 200,000 people will be hospitalized this year with the influenza virus, and it has been estimated that 50 to 70 percent of those hospitalized are people age 65 and older.
Word of Mouth: Your dentist is key to early cancer detection

IT SEEMS LIKE you hear about many different kinds of cancers these days, but one that isn’t being talked about enough is oral cancer. Cancer in the mouth and throat are diagnosed in nearly 50,000 Americans a year, and statistics show that only 57 percent of those diagnosed still will be living in five years.