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Risk Prediction

American Heart Association’s Updated Tool Is a Game-Changer by REBEKAH PIERCE What if you had a crystal ball — something that could predict future health problems and tell you what exactly to expect as you get older? With the updated Risk Prevention Tool from the American Heart Association, you may be able to do just…
From Broken Heart to Helping Heart

Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation Making Defibrillators More Accessible in Winter Haven by K. MICHELE TRICE In the summer of 2020, Melanie Brown Culpepper found herself in a nightmare situation. She is now on a mission to help as many people as possible avoid a similar experience. Florida had just allowed businesses to reopen following the Covid-19…
Balancing Fitness & Fun

Cypress Gardens Ski Team Keeps Winter Haven Family Active story and photos by PAUL CATALA Daily activities for the Palomaki family started with baseball games and fishing, but it wasn’t long before the family was hooked on skiing. Now, the whole Palomaki family, along with the rest of the Cypress Gardens Ski Team, use ropes…

The Heart of the Matter: Recommendations from the USPSTF for low-dose aspirin use

LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN has long been a therapy for those with a risk of cardiovascular disease, and studies have shown it to be effective at lowering the risk of colorectal cancer as well. However, aspirin also has been shown to have health dangers, such as increasing the risk for bleeding in the stomach and intestines and…
Healthy Cook: Adding on calories when your senior loved one is too thin

BEING A FEW POUNDS overweight can be a pain in the patootie. That can often be solved by using the simple food equation: calories in versus calories out. On the other hand, people who are too slim and can’t gain weight often have no patootie to speak of. Their challenge of putting on a few…
Surgery Facts: Answering the question: ‘Doc, do I need my gallbladder?’

AS A SURGEON, I am asked this question all the time, usually right after I inform a patient that their abdominal pain is due to gallstones. There is an aura of mystery surrounding this little green organ, with a lot of folks unclear as to its exact role in our bodies and our health. Gallbladder…