Health News

Features

To smile or not to smile

Dr. Karen Teston and other local experts on oral hygiene and your overall health Some folks are afraid of pain. Some know they haven’t done a good job of taking care of their teeth, and don’t want to be lectured. Still others lack cash. Whatever the reason, many avoid the dentist until an emergency arises.…
Community outreach programs make check-ups more available

Free dental exams, preventative tooth care, and more Several outreach programs in Polk County recently offered free dental exams and other tooth services to spread awareness about the need for dental health care. At the Haines City Dental Clinic, the Florida Department of Health in Polk County (FDOH-Polk) offered free comprehensive dental exams to children…
Helping make the healthier choice, the easier choice

About the Building a Healthier Polk initiative Building a Healthier Polk is a group of community partners brought together by Polk Vision who are working towards the goal of reducing the obesity rate in Polk County. Polk Vision is a broad, community-led partnership of organizations, businesses, government, and individuals. In 2012, Polk Vision’s Quality of…

Ask a Nurse: A closer look at Vitamin D deficiencies

As many of us swallow down one, two, three, or even four vitamins and supplements every morning, do you ever stop and think, “Do I really need to take all these vitamins?” Well, more research is being conducted for this very reason. In this column, I’d like to focus on vitamin D. Do you know…
Editor’s Dose: An important update on the Affordable Care Act

Like an afternoon soap opera we love to hate, we just can’t seem to stop watching the drama unfold in relation to the Affordable Care Act. Whether you’re in favor or opposed to the ACA (commonly known as ObamaCare), I think we can all agree that it’s important to stay informed and remember that whether…
Publisher’s Note: The method behind the magazine

Last edition, we featured an extensive article on how our region is working towards tackling the issue of obesity in our neighborhoods. On the surface, it might have seemed like we were celebrating the long upheld New Year’s Resolution to shed a few pounds, but there’s really much more to it than that. You see,…