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Put your dirty hands in the air

Give Bad Bacteria the Stick Up with these Simple Steps Germs. The uninvited guest. The invisible menace. They are everywhere, even in places that look spotless. So how can you tell if something is truly clean? According to Joe Rubino, head microbiologist for Lysol, there are two types of clean. There is the visual…
Young blood (pressure, that is)

Hypertension is an increasing threat amongst young adults Nearly one in five young adults have high blood pressure, a surprising jump that has prompted researchers to call it a “sleeping epidemic” according to a new study by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. UNC researchers analyzed data on more than 14,000 men and women…
The good, the bad and the ugly cholesterol

Q&A with Cynthia L. Ritter, CCRN, MSN, ARNP-C Central Florida Health News: Is there a “Good” and “Bad” cholesterol? Cynthia L. Ritter: Yes. Cholesterol is made of two types of lipoproteins, triglycerides and something called Lp(a). The two lipoproteins, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) have been given the terms good and bad cholesterol.…

Editor’s Dose: A thank-you letter to nurses

FROM MID-FEBRUARY to about mid-April, my family was at the doctor’s office a lot. The late-spreading flu season (although none of us in our household ever actually caught the flu — thank goodness) must have carried with it many other viruses, because we’ve certainly experienced our fair share. In fact, a few nurses on staff…
Healthy Skin: May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

“C’MON, DOC. What’s a little sunburn?” is a question I frequently hear from the public. The answer is, if you’re lucky, that’s all it is. But a little sunburn is one of the easiest skin cancer risk factors to avoid. If left untreated, skin cancer, or melanoma, can progress to the point that it’s disfiguring…
Cautions for two of your favorite summer activities

SPRING IS THE TIME OF YEAR in Florida when temperatures begin to warm and the weather is perfect outside. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, this beautiful weather also marks the beginning of swimming season for Polk’s residents. Swimming and boating are two of the most popular summer activities for people living…