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It Takes a Village

Breast Cancer Survivor Nikita Lyons Smith Shares Her Story of Hope and Support by RYAN MILEJCZAK photo by JESSICA McDONALD Nikita Lyons Smith has a story that would inspire anyone. She boasts many accomplishments over her 20-year pharmacy career, including opening Winter Haven’s Mercy Pharmacy and becoming Winter Haven’s first African-American female independent pharmacy owner.…
Pop Quiz! Make Sense of the Mammogram Myths

Mammograms are a fact of life for the majority of women as The American College of Radiology recommends annual screening mammograms for all women older than 40 as a necessary breast cancer screening. Despite the necessity of mammograms, there is a lot of incorrect information circulating about them. Get the facts by taking our quiz…
New Face at Polk State

Inaugural AdventHealth Dean of Nursing Talks About Making Difference by K. MICHELE TRICE A $1.7 million endowment to the Polk State College Foundation sparked the creation of an AdventHealth Dean of Nursing position at Polk State College. Dr. Deleise Wilson, who has three decades of clinical, academic, and leadership experience, is the first to serve…

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…
Healthy Cook: Adding on calories when your senior loved one is too thin

BEING A FEW POUNDS overweight can be a pain in the patootie. That can often be solved by using the simple food equation: calories in versus calories out. On the other hand, people who are too slim and can’t gain weight often have no patootie to speak of. Their challenge of putting on a few…
Surgery Facts: Answering the question: ‘Doc, do I need my gallbladder?’

AS A SURGEON, I am asked this question all the time, usually right after I inform a patient that their abdominal pain is due to gallstones. There is an aura of mystery surrounding this little green organ, with a lot of folks unclear as to its exact role in our bodies and our health. Gallbladder…