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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…

Pelvic Congestion Syndrome a Common Cause of Pain

Pelvic congestion syndrome is a vastly underrecognized cause of chronic pelvic pain in women of childbearing age. The pain is present all the time or can be intermittent, lasting three to six months, and present in the pelvic or tummy region throughout the menstrual cycle and without any association with pregnancy. Enlarged veins in the…
Top Vision Myths Debunked!

by ANISA PATAIL, O.D. Whether it’s an old wives’ tale or something a friend mentioned in conversation, you may have heard some things about your eyes that made you wonder if they are true. I’m here to put your questions to rest! Here are the myths I hear the most: 1) Eating carrots will improve…
Are You At Risk for Peripheral Arterial Disease?

September is Peripheral Arterial Disease awareness month. PAD is a chronic condition affecting 20 million people in the U.S. If left untreated, it can result in unnecessary limb amputations. This has been seen disproportionately in people from minority communities. It involves a buildup of plaque in the arteries— much like how your kitchen sink builds…