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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…

Staying positive amidst the great balancing act of life

High gas and food prices, a struggling economy, real estate woes -– it’s pretty easy to get all revved up on stress in today’s unstable world, only to feel like you’re just spinning your wheels. Sure, anxiety and skepticism are an understandable response, but they don’t do much to remedy the situation. Instead, staying…
Is there a polite way to avoid someone who’s sick?

Only a few weeks before Christmas, my family and I had been battling the seasonal cold that spread like wildfire around the community. Out of nowhere it seemed like everyone in the neighborhood had the same virus. There’s no doubt that with this season comes the inevitability of catching a cold or two, but…
Get Healthy, STAT! Fifteen to life

15 The minutes of daily exercise that could reduce risk of death in inactive people by 14 percent. Source: Study of 400,000 people, National Research Institutes of Taiwan “Physical activity and exercise has shown to prevent occurrences of cardiac events, strokes, and many chronic diseases. It is never too late to become active as…