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Pop Quiz: Preventing prescription drug abuse in your home

IT’S A STARTLING FACT: Prescription drug abuse is a problem that affects people from all walks of life. Unfortunately, prescription drug abuse oftentimes occurs in the home, with pills and medications being pilfered or stolen from their legally prescribed owners. Sadly, the culprits of medication thefts could be children and other family members, friends, neighbors,…
Putting together the pieces of dementia

| Keeping our brains fit as we age | BRAINS AGE. As people get older, they may start forgetting appointments, or lose track of days and months. For a while, they may put on a good show. “They’ll tell you what they think,” says Dr. Jeffrey Reddout, a neuropsychologist at Winter Haven Hospital’s (WHH) neurorehabilitation…
Q&A: Weighing your risk for osteoporosis

We interviewed Dr. Raul B. Tallo, a rheumatologist with Lakeland Regional Health, about the bone disease osteoporosis. Central Florida Health News (CFHN): Who is more prone to osteoporosis? Is it an elderly person’s disease? A women’s disease?

Brain Attack (Stroke or Mini-stroke): Are You at Risk?

Approximately 700,000 strokes occur in the United States annually. Stroke or brain attack is a disease that involves the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that brings oxygen to the brain gets blocked by a blood clot most commonly. With the oxygen supply to the brain…
Punctal Plugs

Many patients suffer from dry eye, and eye care professionals have many tools at their disposal to help with symptoms. For many patients, over-the-counter lubricating drops such as Blink or Systane can be helpful. It is important to avoid redness relieving drops, as these tend to cause more problems over time. When over-the-counter drops are…
Understanding Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Last year, I wrote about heart failure. At that time, I had said that about half the patients admitted with congestive heart failure have normal systolic function. This is true. The most common way to express heart function is by measuring ejection fraction (EF). This is the proportion of the amount of blood in the…