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A Strong Health Team Can Help Detect, Mitigate Birth Defects

by TERESA SCHIFFER Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care January is National Birth Defects Awareness Month, a time for discussions about how different birth defects can affect individuals over the course of their lifespan, and what can be done to minimize the risk of these occurrences. It’s important to understand that the term “birth defect”…
Pop Quiz: Trust Your Gut

How Much Do You Know About Microbiomes and Your Digestive Health? Did you know that some kinds of bacteria are actually beneficial to have in your digestive tract? While it may sound counterintuitive, certain strains of bacteria — like lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, which make up your gut microbiome — offer a host of benefits for…
Funding the Future of Nursing

AdventHealth to Provide $1.7 Million for Polk State Program story and photos by PAUL CATALA Since 1965, Polk State College has instructed, encouraged, and placed about 21,500 students into successful nursing careers. On average, 430 nurses graduate from the school’s nursing college each year. Now that program will have even more to offer thanks to…

Enterovirus D68: Symptoms, Severity, and Treatment

We are currently experiencing a nationwide outbreak of the Enterovirus D68. Enterovirus D68 can cause respiratory illness ranging from mild to severe. Infants, children, and teenagers are most likely to get infected and become ill. Adults may also become infected but are more likely to have no symptoms or mild symptoms. Children with asthma may…
Editor’s Dose: One trip to the ER that made me think

The last time I was at the Emergency Room was for my four-year-old daughter. Since April of this year, she has been suffering from chronic hives. At first glance, these hives could be mistaken for an allergic reaction— or worse, some kind of viral infection. During the course of her treatment, I’ve had multiple parents…
Healthy Cook: An ounce of canning is worth a pound of preparedness

In the olden days, when our parents’ parents were new parents, “Putting food by” was a big job.