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Today’s breast conserving measures

The then and now of treatment and surgery Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Each year 1.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer and the incidence of breast cancer increases with age; more than 80 percent occur above age 50 and 35 percent above age 70. There are many diagnostic…
10 questions on radiation therapy

What is radiation therapy? Radiation Therapy or Radiation Oncology utilizes high-energy radiation that is closely monitored and controlled to deliver precisely targeted treatments. These precise treatments are custom designed individually for each patient. How is the radiation delivered? Radiation can be delivered externally (similar to an x-ray machine) or internally where radioactive sources are placed…
When all signs point to prostate cancer

Q&A with Dr. Byron Hodge on cryotherapy Central Florida Health News (CFHN): How long has cryotherapy been a treatment option for prostate cancer? Dr. Hodge: Cryotherapy or freezing has been around for many years as a treatment for disease, but as far as contemporary prostate cancer, probably in the early 1990s was when there was…

Editor’s Dose: Tips for minimizing back-to-school stress

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, then come early July you were already thinking about preparations for the new school year. Parents and children in the community this year are getting ready extra early because Polk County public schools moved up their calendar by one week — day one of school is August 15.
Making the choice to breastfeed

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH in Polk County (DOH-Polk) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recognize August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. This is a wonderful time of year to promote breastfeeding as a vital health activity and discuss the health benefits breastfeeding provides. Although every woman has their own…
Editor’s Dose: Keeping kids’ bodies and minds active this summer

WHEN I FIRST had the twins, my mom would say, “Have a schedule for them, or they’ll have a schedule for you.” Basically, she was cautioning that I’d better keep those little minds and bodies active, or chaos would inevitably ensue. Being a mother of eight children, I think she was speaking from personal experience.…