Health News

Features

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…
Heart disease warnings for women

| Don’t believe you’re not at risk; do believe you can improve your odds | WOMEN HAVE A MEASURE of built-in protection against heart disease — as long as their ovaries are producing estrogen. Although estrogen may delay the onset of heart disease until the sixties or seventies, women’s risk eventually is the same as…

Family Health: Beat the heat with summer safety tips for health and wellness

FLORIDA IS NOTORIOUS for its hot, humid weather. During the summer months, take care to protect yourself from the elements. High temps are dangerous for those who are prone to chronic health issues, so it’s imperative to take the proper precautions.
Think of your vacation as a vaca-shun

THERE’S A REASON PEOPLE need vacations and recreation. Vacate and re-create! Think of it as a vaca-shun. Shun the things that bother you. Take in the new. When you’re away, don’t think about the old things that trouble your mind.
Health Facts: Getting to the heat of the matter

AS TEMPERATURES RISE in sunny Florida, so does your risk of developing heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Approximately 20 cases of heat stroke per 100,000 people occur annually, with at least 240 deaths.