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Digesting the facts

Are you at risk for stomach cancer? There is really no way to know for sure if you are going to get stomach cancer. Certain risk factors may make you more likely to get it than another person. However, just because you have one or more risk factors does not necessarily mean you will get…
Q&A on preterm labor

What are the facts about preterm labor and births? Preterm birth is defined as those infants delivered prior to the completion of 37 weeks of an expectant mother’s pregnancy. Preterm birth occurs in approximately 12 percent of pregnancies. Preterm births occur spontaneously in the following cases: 40 percent after preterm labor 35 percent after preterm…
Why the HPV Vaccine?

Every two minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer worldwide Cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine have entered the political debates around the country as well as discussions in the household. The current media firestorm surrounding the HPV vaccine has caused parents to question whether this new vaccine is right for their kids, or where…

Delicious food and the diabetic’s diet

It’s in the Bag Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high glucose levels caused by insufficient production of insulin. That’s a fairly simple definition for a disease that is not simple to treat. In general, and that’s all we can deal with in a short article, a balanced diet is a good starting…
Body, Mind & Spirit: Giving thanks by giving back

What it Means to be a Foster Family Foster parents provide a safe, nurturing home for children to heal. While there are currently about 150 licensed foster homes in Circuit 10, which covers Polk, Highlands, and Hardee Counties, more are needed. According to Teri Saunders, CEO of Heartland for Children here in Polk County, “That…
Editor’s Dose: More than just comfort food

Reading this article on food “made with love” for the sick really brought back some memories. As a young teenager, my mother had to undergo open heart surgery twice within four years. She has a blood disorder that causes her body to produce too many of the clot-forming platelets. Adding to that complications of…