Health News
Features
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Beyond Breast Cancer Awareness
A look at prevention 365 days a year It’s time to lavish your pink frocks, flaunt that cotton candy boa, showoff those fuchsia stilettos and sport your cherry blossom bustier! Call all your BFFs as it’s October and that means Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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Affordable Care Act Update
Many Polk County residents are continuing to rely on free healthcare clinics, despite health insurance subsidies available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As the nation nears its second open enrollment period for health insurance in November, it is business as usual at some area clinics.
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Pop Quiz: What’s your Medicare IQ?
A Test that Will Help You Get Smarter About Your Coverage For youngsters, autumn means going back to school. For seniors and those who qualify, fall signals that it’s Medicare enrollment and renewal time. The Medicare Fall Open Enrollment Period is specially geared towards choosing Medicare Advantage Plans and Prescription Drug Plans, and it lasts…
Columns
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Demystifying the Eyedrop Aisle
By: Daniel Smith, O.D. Many eye disorders can be treated effectively with eye drops and products found over the counter at the local pharmacy and grocery stores. But with so many options on the shelves, finding the right product for your needs can be overwhelming and confusing. Your eye doctor can provide you with specific…
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When to Seek Help for Spider, Varicose Veins
Spider Veins vs. Varicose Veins Varicose veins are superficial veins that appear knotty and — unless painful, achy, or inflamed — may not need to be treated. Varicose veins usually become more apparent with age and are the price humans pay for standing erect, as opposed to monkeys who walk on all four legs. Spider…
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Brain Attack, Stroke, and 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…
