Health News

Features

Closing the Care Gap

AdventHealth University’s Midwifery Degree Program Aims to Fill Growing Need for Prenatal, Postpartum Care by RYAN MILEJCZAK Pregnancy is an incredible time, but for many women, it can also present a variety of challenges. And one of the biggest supporters of pregnant women who face those challenges are the health professionals who provide care through…
Good Nutrition Isn’t Hard When You Have a Team Supporting You

by RYAN MILEJCZAK Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care As the adage goes, you are what you eat. In other words, eating a healthy, balanced diet that provides adequate nutrition is essential for good health. “Nutrition has a lot of impacts on your overall health, both mental and physical,” explains Ronald Lund, a registered dietician…
Pop Quiz! Do You Know What Is — and Isn’t — a Service Animal?

Writer Thom Jones said, “Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them,” so it’s no surprise that dogs can also be trained to help people with disabilities. Service dogs helping the blind have been around for hundreds of years, but did you know there are also service dogs that help owners with…

Signs & symptoms: When your skin needs medical attention

As a surgeon who often treats and cares for patients whose ailments of the skin have gone too long without medical attention, I’d like to talk about the importance of seeing a doctor right away if you find abnormalities on the skin. I hope people can be aware that it is not only important…
Body, mind & spirit: Integrating primary and behavioral care

When you go to the doctor complaining of stomach pain, you probably don’t expect your problem to be depression. But it just may be. When you complain of headache, clumsiness, dizziness, shakiness, blurred vision, tingling around the mouth and seizures, you might expect an anxiety or bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. You may be surprised if…
Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular health

Dr. Sean P. O’Rourke is a board-certified cardiologist at Watson Clinic. With a subspecialty in cardiovascular disease, Dr. O’Rourke often sees patients suffering from heart disease. He took the time to answer some questions about heart disease, which has a higher death rate in Polk County than in the rest of Florida. Health…