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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.…

Brain Attack (Stroke or Mini-stroke): Are You at Risk?

Approximately 700,000 strokes occur in the United States annually. Stroke or brain attack is a disease that involves the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that brings oxygen to the brain gets blocked by a blood clot most commonly. With the oxygen supply to the brain…
Punctal Plugs

Many patients suffer from dry eye, and eye care professionals have many tools at their disposal to help with symptoms. For many patients, over-the-counter lubricating drops such as Blink or Systane can be helpful. It is important to avoid redness relieving drops, as these tend to cause more problems over time. When over-the-counter drops are…
Understanding Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Last year, I wrote about heart failure. At that time, I had said that about half the patients admitted with congestive heart failure have normal systolic function. This is true. The most common way to express heart function is by measuring ejection fraction (EF). This is the proportion of the amount of blood in the…