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How to recognize childhood obesity

Addressing Weight Problems Early to Offset Future Problems It’s not easy to admit your child is overweight. You want to believe pudge is baby fat the child will outgrow. Or maybe you’ve come to believe extra pounds make him or her strong and healthy. But ignoring the problem won’t make it go away. And, in…
Survival at its pinkest

Breast cancer awareness and education: a constant message Cauney Boydston Bamberg is passionate about increasing breast cancer awareness and raising funds to help women get mammograms. She is the executive director of The Watson Clinic Foundation, Inc., and she brought the first Suncoast Polk Race for the Cure to Polk County last year. Bamberg was…
Turning your home into a gym

How to get active without spending big dollars Filled with good intentions about losing weight or improving your health, you may rush to the store and pick up a $1,200 rowing machine or $2,000 treadmill. But if you don’t want it being used as a clothes rack in your closet, take your time. Learn about how to…

A healthier future for you and your children

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and, while this disease is serious and at times life threatening, it should not be looked at with fear. We at the Polk County Medical Association (PCMA) are here to help educate and equip the members of our community to live healthier lives, and subsequently, hopefully prevent serious illnesses…
Steps for a breast self-exam

About one in eight U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. There are a few things that can be done for early detection, such as an at-home breast self-exam. This exam helps women know what is normal for them. They can then report any changes to their healthcare provider.…
Healthy Cook: Awareness is served

Pink is the color of the day— every day in October— to raise awareness of breast cancer. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the United States started in 1985. The original aim was to increase early detection of breast cancer by encouraging women to have mammograms. The pink ribbon, which had been used to symbolize…