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Talking to your teen can make a difference

New Data Reveals Teen Pregnancy Rates Have Fallen in Polk County For the past decade, the teen pregnancy rate in Polk County has been among the top in Florida, but the latest figures show the rate has dropped. “Community partnerships and civil dialogue has worked to lower teen pregnancy,” says Dr. Daniel Haight, director of…
Kicking the smoking habit for good

A resolution easier said than done, but not impossible With the holidays behind us, we stand at the threshold of another New Year. In an effort to improve our lives over the next 12 months, we’ll make resolutions that if achieved would make a difference for the better. If yours is to get healthy, fantastic!…
When less is more in exercise

How to boost the health benefits of your workouts It’s easy to fall into the routine of walking or jogging at the same pace every time. But to get the most of our exercise regimen, we need to challenge ourselves. “The number one thing to do is to increase the intensity that you work out…

Medical advice: Essential but simple ways to help loved ones with Aphasia

We tend to take for granted our ability to communicate, how effortlessly our words flow out of our mouths. However, when our speech becomes impaired, we profoundly feel the impact. June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. Yet, most people have never heard about this type of communication disorder. Aphasia is a language impairment that…
Signs & Symptoms: Practicing safety & preventing the little known CMV Virus

The Varicella-Zoster Virus causes chicken pox and the painful rash, shingles. The Epstein-Barr Virus is associated with mononucleosis, an infection known as the kissing disease. Then there’s CMV, the lesser-known cytomegalovirus, which joins them as a herpes viruses. Most people who catch CMV don’t know they have anything, at least nothing more than a…
Common ground found regarding the 1099 rule

It is very seldom that the two political parties of our country join together in a bipartisan fashion. The former 1099 rule of the new health care bill, however, did just that. Many of the leaders from both parties rallied behind the cause to remove this particular rule from being mandated as part of…