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Don’t Miss a Beat: Learn About Heart Arrhythmia Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body, and it affects the healthy operation of most of your other organs and your overall well-being. There are many problems you could experience with your heart, and heart arrhythmia is a common one. It’s a…
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…

Vision and Learning

Children require clear, comfortable vision to be successful in school and extracurricular activities. We use our eyes to read, write, throw a ball, use computers, and watch TV. As children advance in school, the demand for clear vision increases because they spend more time reading and learning. Thus, any vision problems should be addressed at…
Are You Considering Cataract Surgery?

A cataract is where the normally clear lens inside the eye becomes cloudy. This is a normal process that occurs with age. Certain medications such as steroids, smoking, and high levels of sun exposure can cause cataracts to develop at an earlier age. Early symptoms of cataracts often include blurred vision with glare and halos…
Cardiac Testing in a COVID-19 World

In this column, I’ll talk about the varied tests done in cardiology in general and how we do them in a COVID-19 world. After all, people don’t stop having heart trouble because of a pandemic. First, I will discuss the various facets of the heart, how the tests are done and how we check them…