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How a life-saving transplant transformed my life

| Annemarie Ward shares her journey of keeping hope alive amidst heart disease | NEARLY 15 YEARS AGO, Annemarie Ward was walking the family’s three dogs with her mother Polly and sister Emily when she collapsed. At age seven, Annemarie had suffered a heart attack. She was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of the…
Pop Quiz: Maintaining optimal optical health

| Understanding the causes of low vision and taking precautions as you age | EYESIGHT is a precious thing, and unfortunately there are many threats to optimal optical health. One common eye problem is low vision, and it affects seniors the most. Low vision, in its simplest terms, is any vision loss that interferes with…
Celebrating Black History Month with a look at local African-Americans in medicine

ALEX ALEXANDER Registered Nurse Bartow Regional Medical Center As a black registered nurse from North Carolina, 56-year-old Alex Alexander has had his run-ins with prejudice. But he’s learned to remember who he is, treat others like his brothers and sisters, forgive, and … not believe everything he hears. “You earn things by your merit and…

PCMA Letter: It’s always a good time to address mental health

IN THIS EDITION (August 2015) of Central Florida Health News, medical experts weigh in on topics to help improve you or a loved one’s mental health. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a staggering one in five Americans will suffer from anxiety or depression in their lifetime.
Publisher’s Note: Depression cases in our local Medicare population

MENTAL ILLNESS can refer to several afflictions that affect the state of our minds, but usually the first one we think of is depression. While clinical depression can be caused by many individual factors (or a combination of several), there are some medical conditions that put a person at greater risk for the disease.
Family Health: Urgent vs. emergency care

WHEN A SUDDEN illness or injury strikes, it can be stressful to decide where to seek medical attention. Though your primary-care physician is the best place to start, illness and injuries don’t always occur during office hours or on schedule. It’s important to understand your options for immediate medical care before symptoms strike, as it…