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Senior Strong: Local Powerlifter Shares Her Story

Local Powerlifter Yvette Fox is Not Your Typical Grandma by TERESA SCHIFFER Some people spend their senior years slowing down and doing less, physically. Yvette Fox is heading in the opposite direction, and smashing records on her way. The 60-year-old grandmother of six is turning heads and taking home wins at powerlifting competitions and running…
The Science of the Shoe

Expert Tips on Footwear and Selecting a Better Shoe for Happier, Healthier Feet by MARY TOOTHMAN There are 26 bones and 33 joints in the human foot and ankle, and the height of arches and the shape of the toes vary from person to person. And according to the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society…
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,…

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…