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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 “Ripe” Time for Cataract Surgery

Whenever I tell a patient that he or she has cataracts they immediately ask if they need to have surgery. We start thinking about cataract surgery whenever the patient’s quality of life is affected. Common complaints include, “I can’t read road signs,” or “I can’t read the writing on TV,” or “I can’t read small…
A Cautionary Tale for Frequent Biting, Grinding, or Clenching

Biting and chewing your food. It’s something we do every day and without thinking. That’s why when most people have biting issues— where they bite the inside tissue of their mouth— they usually don’t think beyond the few minutes of pain and discomfort it causes. However, frequent biting (as well as grinding and clenching) can…
Oral Cancer Awareness Month

The month of April is considered National Oral Cancer Awareness Month. The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers in the United States for 2019 show that about 53,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer and an estimated 10,860 will die of these cancers. Lip and…