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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…
The trouble with trigger finger

Local surgeon develops alternate solution for a tricky procedure There’s no getting around this fact: you need your hands. When one or more of your fingers or thumbs doesn’t function properly, it interferes with work and play. Correcting a condition such as trigger finger once meant a trip to a hospital or surgery center for…
Healthy Cook: The disease-fighting properties of red foods

Roses are red Berries are blue Red foods tastes good And are heart-healthy, too. There are only a few days of the year when a writer can get that corny, and who am I to pass up the chance? But it’s true. Lots of red foods are good for the heart because of what they…

September STATs

A Prostate Pick Me Up 60% Percentage decrease in death from prostate cancer in men who drank 6 cups of coffee daily, decaf or regular. Source: 20-year Harvard University Study “While this particular study hasn’t come across my desk, yet, I am aware of a lot of studies in the prevention of prostate cancer.…
Healthy Cook: The cure for the common fruit (variety is key)

Follow nutrition headlines and it may be tempting to focus on one fruit that’s exciting to health researchers. Unfortunately, the stars of the produce stand can change their rankings as quickly as the front-runners on “American Idol.” One week we’re told to cheer for red grapes; the next it’s cantaloupe. How should a person choose…
Don’t look, I’m exercising!

The Challenge of Going to the Gym for the Body Conscious The locker room isn’t the only scary place in the fitness center. The workout areas present their own challenges for the self-conscious. Just like in the locker room, the fear that others are watching and judging is a very real part of the…