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The Factors of Effective Weight Loss

Drilling Down on Why the Journey to Achieving Ideal Body Mass Index is Not One Size Fits All Kim Gafford became an emotional eater after her father died when she was just eight years old. Her weight was a problem by age 12— and it continued to climb— until she reached 325 pounds. When she…
Pop Quiz: Is It Chronic Cough Due to Allergies, or Something Else?

Get to the Bottom of Your Chronic Cough By Answering these Questions Most people don’t consider a little cough something that is serious enough to see the doctor about. However, once the cough sticks around for a few weeks, most people start to get concerned. If you’ve got a chronic cough, take our quiz below…
Stepping Up the Focus on Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Advocates Say Teen Pregnancy is a Social Issue that Impacts All of Us— Not Just Parents and Teens Raising awareness about teen pregnancy prevention is spotlighted in May, but for devoted advocates, it is a year-round campaign.

Editor’s Dose: A thank-you letter to nurses

FROM MID-FEBRUARY to about mid-April, my family was at the doctor’s office a lot. The late-spreading flu season (although none of us in our household ever actually caught the flu — thank goodness) must have carried with it many other viruses, because we’ve certainly experienced our fair share. In fact, a few nurses on staff…
Healthy Skin: May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

“C’MON, DOC. What’s a little sunburn?” is a question I frequently hear from the public. The answer is, if you’re lucky, that’s all it is. But a little sunburn is one of the easiest skin cancer risk factors to avoid. If left untreated, skin cancer, or melanoma, can progress to the point that it’s disfiguring…
Cautions for two of your favorite summer activities

SPRING IS THE TIME OF YEAR in Florida when temperatures begin to warm and the weather is perfect outside. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, this beautiful weather also marks the beginning of swimming season for Polk’s residents. Swimming and boating are two of the most popular summer activities for people living…