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The Heart of the Matter

Area Physicians Weigh In on ECGs for Student Athletes by PAUL CATALA As the school year ramps up, parents are busy lining up appointments so their student athletes can get their sports physicals. Over the past decade, there’s been increased interest in the incorporation of electrocardiogram heart screenings in these physicals. An electrocardiogram, or ECG,…
When Heroes Need Help

New Initiative Seeks to Connect Veterans and First Responders With Mental Health Resources by RYAN MILEJCZAK A new initiative here in Central Florida seeks to help veterans and first responders struggle with mental health challenges. The Heroes Wellness Collective, launched by Lake Wales-based Operation Recovery, seeks to create a centralized, online platform that connects veterans…
A Different Kind of First Aid

Peace River Center Offers Mental Health First Aid by REBEKAH PIERCE An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This timeless adage is something we think about often when it comes to our physical health, but not necessarily what’s going on inside our heads. Yet the reality is that, in 2024, mental health…

The Heart of the Matter: Recommendations from the USPSTF for low-dose aspirin use

LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN has long been a therapy for those with a risk of cardiovascular disease, and studies have shown it to be effective at lowering the risk of colorectal cancer as well. However, aspirin also has been shown to have health dangers, such as increasing the risk for bleeding in the stomach and intestines and…
Healthy Cook: Adding on calories when your senior loved one is too thin

BEING A FEW POUNDS overweight can be a pain in the patootie. That can often be solved by using the simple food equation: calories in versus calories out. On the other hand, people who are too slim and can’t gain weight often have no patootie to speak of. Their challenge of putting on a few…
Surgery Facts: Answering the question: ‘Doc, do I need my gallbladder?’

AS A SURGEON, I am asked this question all the time, usually right after I inform a patient that their abdominal pain is due to gallstones. There is an aura of mystery surrounding this little green organ, with a lot of folks unclear as to its exact role in our bodies and our health. Gallbladder…