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Love the skin you’re in: Protect it from cancer

Sun-Safe Measures and Early Detection Make a Difference Jean Tayntor is sometimes called the Cookie Lady because of the cookies she passes around while volunteering at the Lakeland Regional Cancer Center. But 72-year-old Tayntor serves more than tasty treats— she offers hope. Tayntor is a cancer survivor. Diagnosed 10 years ago with melanoma, the most…
Aural rehabilitation for improved volume and clarity

The Next Step After the Hearing Device Volume and clarity. These are the reasons that most people purchase hearing devices. Whether you purchased a hearing aid, cochlear implant, or a Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP), you are looking for your hearing device to provide increased sound volume and deliver improved clarity. Hearing devices are great…
Healing Polk’s communities

New Research Points to Health Disparities Among Certain Residents How a county thrives is based on how well the citizens within the county are thriving, and Polk County has taken a big step in improving its communities’ health by determining the health needs of its citizens. Thanks to a committee of devoted health experts, the…

The Heart of the Matter: Recommendations from the USPSTF for low-dose aspirin use

LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN has long been a therapy for those with a risk of cardiovascular disease, and studies have shown it to be effective at lowering the risk of colorectal cancer as well. However, aspirin also has been shown to have health dangers, such as increasing the risk for bleeding in the stomach and intestines and…
Healthy Cook: Adding on calories when your senior loved one is too thin

BEING A FEW POUNDS overweight can be a pain in the patootie. That can often be solved by using the simple food equation: calories in versus calories out. On the other hand, people who are too slim and can’t gain weight often have no patootie to speak of. Their challenge of putting on a few…
Surgery Facts: Answering the question: ‘Doc, do I need my gallbladder?’

AS A SURGEON, I am asked this question all the time, usually right after I inform a patient that their abdominal pain is due to gallstones. There is an aura of mystery surrounding this little green organ, with a lot of folks unclear as to its exact role in our bodies and our health. Gallbladder…