
Health News
Features
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Pop Quiz: Pedestrian rules of the Road
Test Your Knowledge of Pedestrian Safety and Prevent a Fatal Injury or Death! Polk County ranks at the top of many lists, but one high ranking that definitely needs to decrease is Polk County’s instances of pedestrian deaths. In such a beautiful climate, there is always going to be a high number of pedestrians sharing…
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Knowing whether or not to call 9-1-1
Recognizing an emergency versus non-emergency and how to get help Imagine this— it is 11 o’clock at night and you’re at home watching television. You see lights from a vehicle driving past your home. You can hear that the vehicle is slowing down and you look out the window to see the lights have been…
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Local Health Update: All eyes on Amendment 2
Public forum on medical marijuana brings cheers and boos The Public Forum on Medical Marijuana hosted by the Lakeland Ledger was held at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of the Harrison School for the Arts. There was a lot of cheering and booing going on Thursday night, August 28, at the Medical Marijuana Forum, as…
Columns
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Diabetes — the Leading Cause of Blindness
October may be National Diabetes Month, but for me as an eye doctor, every month is diabetes month. Complications from diabetes are the leading cause of blindness in adults in the United States. For my patients who are diabetic, I am always on the lookout for bleeding inside the eye as well as internal swelling,…
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Protect Your Joints and Help Your Golf Game
Many people injure themselves simply because they do not stretch. A survey showed that more than half of the golfers who warmed up for 10 minutes or more before golfing had fewer than half the injuries than those who did not warm up. Another cause of injuries is the fact that golf is a repetitive…
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Diagnosis and Treatment of Shingles
Shingles is a contagious virus (varicella zoster) that results in a painful rash. The virus that causes the rash is one of nine known herpes viruses to infect humans. It is the same virus that causes chickenpox. After having chickenpox, typically as a child, the virus lies dormant in nerve tissue underneath the skin.…