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Beneficial Pawtnership

K9s for Cops Program Helps Fund Polk County Sheriff’s Office K9s by PAUL CATALA On Sept. 28, 2006, Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Williams and his partner, K9 DiOGi, were killed in the line of duty while pursuing a driver who had fled from a traffic stop. It was that dedication to law enforcement, the…
Risk Prediction

American Heart Association’s Updated Tool Is a Game-Changer by REBEKAH PIERCE What if you had a crystal ball — something that could predict future health problems and tell you what exactly to expect as you get older? With the updated Risk Prevention Tool from the American Heart Association, you may be able to do just…
From Broken Heart to Helping Heart

Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation Making Defibrillators More Accessible in Winter Haven by K. MICHELE TRICE In the summer of 2020, Melanie Brown Culpepper found herself in a nightmare situation. She is now on a mission to help as many people as possible avoid a similar experience. Florida had just allowed businesses to reopen following the Covid-19…

The Link Between Obesity, Vascular Disease

Loving ourselves and taking care of our health to prevent or delay the onset of chronic conditions is an important aspect of our health. This is the fourth part of a series focusing on lifestyle management for the prevention of vascular disease. In previous columns, we’ve addressed smoking cessation, blood pressure regulation, and the…
Hypertension and Vascular Disease

In the previous two issues, we addressed smoking cessation and the importance of sugar control. In this edition, we will look at the role of hypertension in the prevention of vascular disease and how we can make lifestyle choices that can prevent or delay the onset of hypertension. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects…
Common Vision Problems

There are many types of vision problems that can aﬀect your eyesight. The focus of this topic will be on the four most common causes of blurred vision. Astigmatism Astigmatism is an uneven or irregular curvature of the cornea and/or lens of the eye. This results in blurred or distorted vision. Other symptoms…