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College Wellness 101

Making better choices for campus life now and the career ahead College can be an exciting time as most students are starting adulthood, but it’s also a time where many start out on the wrong foot. We’ve all heard of the “Freshman 15,” the weight gain that is common during freshman year, but it’s just…
Tips for exercising while on the mend

Q&A with Jim Goodwin on how you can safely work out with an Injury When recovering from an injury, it’s tempting to lay off your fitness routine. That’s not always a good idea, however. Central Florida Health News talked with Jim Goodwin, director of Rehabilitation Services at Bartow Regional Medical Center, about the best way…
Preventing PAM: A rare, but lethal infection

Summer season is officially here. It is a great time to enjoy cookouts, playing sports, or participating in water-related activities. The summer season also brings a number of things that we need to be mindful of in order to be safe, such as hurricane season, mosquito season, and the less known amoeba season. Naegleria fowleri…

Editor’s Dose: A thank-you letter to nurses

FROM MID-FEBRUARY to about mid-April, my family was at the doctor’s office a lot. The late-spreading flu season (although none of us in our household ever actually caught the flu — thank goodness) must have carried with it many other viruses, because we’ve certainly experienced our fair share. In fact, a few nurses on staff…
Healthy Skin: May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

“C’MON, DOC. What’s a little sunburn?” is a question I frequently hear from the public. The answer is, if you’re lucky, that’s all it is. But a little sunburn is one of the easiest skin cancer risk factors to avoid. If left untreated, skin cancer, or melanoma, can progress to the point that it’s disfiguring…
Cautions for two of your favorite summer activities

SPRING IS THE TIME OF YEAR in Florida when temperatures begin to warm and the weather is perfect outside. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, this beautiful weather also marks the beginning of swimming season for Polk’s residents. Swimming and boating are two of the most popular summer activities for people living…