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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.…
The key to staying young

4 Building Blocks of Senior Fitness Regular exercise helps maintain one’s health. Staying physically active can help prevent and reduce the impact of illness and chronic disease. The benefits of exercise for seniors include improved heart health, lower blood pressure, stress reduction, and better bone density. It also lowers the risk of several chronic conditions…
Here veggies come to save the day

New studies link certain produce to protecting from cancer and other health risks Most people are no doubt aware that they should be consuming more fruits and vegetables. It’s nearly impossible to escape the message that produce is an essential part of a healthy diet. “Many studies link diets high in fruits and vegetables with…

Ask a Nurse: The evolution of modern medicine

Did you know that an anesthesiologist (the doctor that puts you to sleep and keeps you alive during surgery) wasn’t even considered a field or specialty in medicine until 1941!1 Could you imagine undergoing surgery without anesthesia? Barbaric! Thoracic surgery (chest surgery) wasn’t approved until 1970, and bariatric (obesity) medicine has yet to become an official…
Medical Advice: Avoiding mosquitoes and chikungunya virus

I was first introduced to a disease known as chikungunya during my medical training. Initially, I dismissed this foreign illness as something I would probably not see in my career. Chikungunya was originally found in Asia, Africa, and the islands of the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. This changed on December 2013, when there was…
Editor’s Dose: Adventures with school physicals!

It’s school physical time already! Am I the only one who feels like summer went by way too fast? Maybe it’s because “time flies when you’re having fun.” Or, maybe it’s because time flies when you have four kids . . . maybe it’s a combination of both. Either way, our house is in full…