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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…

Operative Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease

We’ve talked about what Peripheral Arterial Disease is in previous columns. Now, let’s look at some possible operative treatment options for PAD. When medical management alone has failed to improve symptoms, the possible treatment options include the following: Endovascular treatment with balloon angioplasty: In this procedure, a catheter is threaded through a blood vessel to…
Breast Cancer Surpasses Lung Cancer as Most Common

According to new information released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), breast cancer has now overtaken lung cancer as the world’s most commonly diagnosed cancer, accounting for 12% of all new annual cancer cases worldwide. It’s also now the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. In 2021, it’s estimated that over…
What Is Peripheral Arterial Disease?

We’ve talked about what Peripheral Arterial Disease is in previous columns. Now, let’s look at some possible operative treatment options for PAD. When medical management alone has failed to improve symptoms, the possible treatment options include the following: 1.) Endovascular treatment with balloon angioplasty: In this procedure, a catheter is threaded through a blood vessel…