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How Much Do You Know About Giving the Gift of Life? There is a dire need for blood donations in the U.S. as an average of 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion every year. The medical community relies on donations as 29,000 pints of donated blood are used every day across the nation. These…
Stress Can Wreak Havoc on Physical Health

by TERESA SCHIFFER Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care Stress affects everyone on a daily basis. Some types of stress motivate people to do what needs to be done every day. Then there are times when stress causes us discomfort, unhappiness, and even chronic health conditions. We talked with Julie Decanio, LCSW, who is a…
Forgetful or Fateful?

Determining What’s Normal and When It’s Time to Seek Help by TERESA SCHIFFER Forgetting a name or where you put something is a fairly normal, if annoying, part of life. As you age, these memory slips can occur more often. After all, changes happen throughout the body, including the brain. However, occasional forgetfulness isn’t the…

Health Hero: Kia Troutman

Heading Polk County’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Campaign a Personal Crusade for Kia Troutman Kia Troutman knows cancer. She knows how it killed her grandparents and a co-worker. She knows what her 61-year-old cousin in Mississippi, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, is going through. She knows how it touches the lives of African-Americans and…
5 Ways to Help with Smarter Nutrition

Polk County nutritionist at Central Florida Health Care shares how he helps patients make smarter food choices. Okay, it’s time to be honest. When you put food on your plate, does half of your meal consist of fruits and vegetables? If you answered “no” to this question, you’re not alone. In fact, more than 90…
Oral Hygiene and Your Mental Health

The connection between mental health and overall health is under-researched in the medical community, and this is true of the connection between mental health and oral health as well. Healthcare researchers agree there is a connection between oral health and mental health, but the exact connection isn’t a simple one. How Poor Oral Hygiene Affects…