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7 safety tips for summer

Avoiding the season’s common health hazards It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy — but that doesn’t mean dangers aren’t lurking nearby. While breaks from school, warm temperatures, holidays, and vacations on the horizon mean fun for the whole family, these situations can contribute to some of summer’s most common safety concerns. 1. Child’s Play…
Don’t resist muscle-building resistance training

Weights are not just for getting ripped You, the Speedo and the beach no longer come together in one sentence. So you may ask yourself why you need to lift weights or do other resistance training. Your six-pack-ab days are over. But vanity ranks low on the list of reasons you should embrace this physical…
The tobacco talk

Two-Way Discussion Street to Steering Kids Away from Smoking The Bureau of Tobacco Prevention Program’s Tobacco Free Florida campaign is designed to boost the ranks of Floridians whose health and lives can be enhanced by living without tobacco – including teens and young adults. Health Department Director and USF faculty Dr. Daniel Haight encourages parents…

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…
The Heart of the Matter: Recommendations from the USPSTF for low-dose aspirin use

LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN has long been a therapy for those with a risk of cardiovascular disease, and studies have shown it to be effective at lowering the risk of colorectal cancer as well. However, aspirin also has been shown to have health dangers, such as increasing the risk for bleeding in the stomach and intestines and…