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Local Chat and Chew now offered after hours

Community volunteer organization creates new event to help put willpower back in your diet With our fast paced, 21st century lives, it is sometimes challenging to prepare good, nutritious meals for ourselves and our families. There are meals sold in restaurants found on every corner that are high in fat, salt, cholesterol, and sugar, and…
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.
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.

Pediatric Health: Why your child should follow the immunization schedule

ALTHOUGH THE SIGNIFICANCE of vaccinating children is widely recognized, it is essential to understand the importance of adhering to an immunization schedule. These schedules are determined and evaluated by leading experts each year, taking the most recent scientific data into consideration. They are then approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of…
Editor’s Dose: An allergy alert and chemosis cautions

WELL, I THINK IT’S SAFE to say that spring has most definitely sprung. It’s that time of year when you walk outside your door and notice your car has a nice sheen of yellow from the layer of pollen that has adhered to the entire exterior. It’s also the time of year for sneezing, sniffling…
Stick to your ‘healthy lifestyle’ guns

THE CONNECTION between poor diet, obesity, and cardiovascular disease is not one that is hard to trace. What is difficult, however, is changing one’s lifestyle to combat the dangers of heart disease. Attempting to undo a lifetime of poor diet and exercise choices requires real determination and willpower, two characteristics that aren’t necessarily the strong…