Health News

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Making African-American history in Polk

Alice Manley: A lifetime of service (above) Alice Manley stands with four generations of directors for the health department. From left to right: Dr. Ulyee Choe (November 2012-Present); Dr. Daniel Haight (July 1996-November 2012); Dr. William F. Hill (January 1967-June 1985); and Dr. Kevin Sherin (July 1988-October 1993). Photo courtesy of the Florida Department of…
Painting the town red with heart disease prevention

How Polk is taking steps to increase awareness and lower your risk Bill Mutz thought he was just going to help with a demonstration when he volunteered for an ultrasound at a Lakeland Leadership Cardiology group. But what he learned actually helped him: The ultrasound showed blood was not flowing properly through his heart’s mitral…
New year, New you!

How Polk County is Tackling Obesity and Residents are Making Healthier Lifestyle Choices Fifty-one year-old Ann Good topped 200 pounds last May. She lacked energy and was short of breath. Concerned about a family history of heart disease and diabetes, she decided to act. Today Good is 50 pounds lighter and breathing easier, in more…

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…