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Enhancing the Safety Net

Polk County Approves $4 Million for Indigent Health Care by PAUL CATALA It’s funding that’s being called a local healthcare “safety net” for the underinsured and uninsured in Polk County. In November, Polk County Commissioners unanimously approved more than $4 million in funding for primary care, dental services and behavioral health services for Indigent Healthcare Services.…
The Battle Within the Battle

Cancer Drugs Caused Weight Gain, but Bariatric Surgery Restored Her Health by TERESA SCHIFFER Rhonda Smith is feeling great these days. She’s in great health, eating right, getting regular exercise, and savoring life in a new way after an arduous battle. In 2005, at the age of 27, Smith visited her doctor because she was…
Striking a Balance

Fitness Center Is Helping Women Get On- and Stay On – the Road to Good Health by PAUL CATALAphotos provided by THE BALANCE CULTURE The temptation and indulgence of the holidays are enough to make even the most enthusiastic fitness buffs take a few weeks off. New Year’s resolutions are often cited for driving gym…

Protect Your Joints and Help Your Golf Game

Many people injure themselves simply because they do not stretch. A survey showed that more than half of the golfers who warmed up for 10 minutes or more before golfing had fewer than half the injuries than those who did not warm up. Another cause of injuries is the fact that golf is a repetitive…
Diagnosis and Treatment of Shingles

Shingles is a contagious virus (varicella zoster) that results in a painful rash. The virus that causes the rash is one of nine known herpes viruses to infect humans. It is the same virus that causes chickenpox. After having chickenpox, typically as a child, the virus lies dormant in nerve tissue underneath the skin.…
Understanding Metastatic Bone Disease

Cancer is always a frightening diagnosis, and knowing that the disease can spread from one part of the body to others can be unsettling. Metastasis occurs when cancer cells from the original (primary) tumor break away and move to other parts of the body. When the cancer spreads from the primary tumor into bone tissue,…