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Running with purpose

Participants in the City-to-City 5k and One Mile Fun Walk On your mark, get set, go! The runners were ready, the onlookers were excited, and the race was on. The Polk Training Center held its annual City-to-City 5K race and One Mile Fun Walk on Saturday, February 18. With check-in and registration starting at 7:15…
Eating wisely at work

Tips for increasing healthy food options Your work environment may be laden with temptation in the lunchroom and break room. Frequent office birthday parties, business lunches at swank restaurants, or staff meetings sweetened by coffee and donuts, can be peril for your waistline. But there are ways to eat wisely. “You’ve got to plan,” advises…
The holistic approach to weight loss

A method that gives hope Although most of us are aware that being overweight contributes to chronic diseases, we may also discover that diets do not work. Dieting can even exacerbate weight issues by slowing thyroid and metabolic function, leading to weight gain, or may make us prone to nutritional deficiencies that cause other unwanted…

The “Ripe” Time for Cataract Surgery

Whenever I tell a patient that he or she has cataracts they immediately ask if they need to have surgery. We start thinking about cataract surgery whenever the patient’s quality of life is affected. Common complaints include, “I can’t read road signs,” or “I can’t read the writing on TV,” or “I can’t read small…
A Cautionary Tale for Frequent Biting, Grinding, or Clenching

Biting and chewing your food. It’s something we do every day and without thinking. That’s why when most people have biting issues— where they bite the inside tissue of their mouth— they usually don’t think beyond the few minutes of pain and discomfort it causes. However, frequent biting (as well as grinding and clenching) can…
Oral Cancer Awareness Month

The month of April is considered National Oral Cancer Awareness Month. The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers in the United States for 2019 show that about 53,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer and an estimated 10,860 will die of these cancers. Lip and…