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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…
Pop Quiz: Is your kitchen a nutrition crime scene?

Find out how much you REALLY know about food safety. One in six people in the United States are still getting food poisoning, leading to 100,000 hospital stays and 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. So, how can we be safer with our food at home? Try our quiz and determine how food safe-savvy…
Knowing is half the battle: Gynecological cancers explained

Q&A with Dr. Richard Cardosi on What You Need to Know to Stay—or Get—Healthy Dr. Richard Cardosi, a board-certified gynecologic oncologist and Polk County Medical Association member, provides comprehensive care for women with gynecologic malignancies and complex benign gynecologic conditions at Watson Clinic’s main office. He serves as president of Watson Clinic Foundation, looking for…

There’s more than meets the (red) eye

by Anisa Patail, O.D. February is here, and Valentine’s Day is around the corner! We see red hearts everywhere as a sign for the holiday, but let’s talk about what red eyes are a sign for. There are several conditions that can cause this very common finding. Depending on the symptoms you’re experiencing, and the…
Treatment Options for Deep Venous Thrombosis

For a long time, treatment of deep venous thrombosis centered on anticoagulation alone. Depending on various factors — including provoked or unprovoked, location and whether new or recurrent episode, chances of causing a fatal pulmonary embolism or previous episodes of pulmonary embolism — the treating physician could decide the duration of the treatment from three…
Dry Eye Disease Not So Cut and Dry

by Julia King, O.D. Dry eye disease, or dry eye syndrome, is a condition that affects millions of people. Unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed as many people don’t realize that their symptoms are caused by dry eye. Dry eye syndrome occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears, or the tears that are produced…