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Aging gracefully

What will your health look like in 40 years? Medical science has made inroads against major diseases that snuff short our lives. But by the time we reach 45, disease beats out accidents as the leading cause of death. The National Vital Statistics System shows cancer is the leading cause of death for 45 to…
Q&A on the most lethal form of dementia

Dr. Gordon J. Rafool shares the symptoms and treatment options of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in America. In Polk, 11.8 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were treated for Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in 2013, according to Healthy Tampa Bay. We interviewed Dr. Gordon J. Rafool, a geriatrician…
Pop Quiz: Establishing a solid oral care foundation

Will your child have a future Filled with healthy smiles? Teeth add to your smile, allow you to enjoy delicious foods, and rip apart that plastic wrap off your new DVD. However, as a parent, you might be wondering whether you’re setting up proper oral hygiene habits for your child, or if the little tike…

To save or not to save?

Cord-Blood Banking can have Life-Saving Benefits, but Local Doctors Advise Parents to do Their Homework When expecting a new baby, parents have many decisions to make: what name to choose, how to decorate the nursery, what hospital to use, etc. However, in the midst of all the excitement, parents might overlook researching and making…
Healthy cook: Save your summer diet with canned salmon

If you had to pick up a precooked, trimmed and ready-to-serve protein at the supermarket, you’d expect to pay a premium for the convenience. After all, someone else is doing the prep work, so you should be paying more. However, it’s nice to know that the opposite can also be true. With canned salmon…
Medical advice: Essential but simple ways to help loved ones with Aphasia

We tend to take for granted our ability to communicate, how effortlessly our words flow out of our mouths. However, when our speech becomes impaired, we profoundly feel the impact. June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. Yet, most people have never heard about this type of communication disorder. Aphasia is a language impairment that…