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Beat the Heat

School Guidelines, Practices Keep Student-Athletes Safe by TERESA SCHIFFER The temperatures in Central Florida can soar uncomfortably high, as any native can attest. For kids who have grown up here, it may be tempting to take that heat in stride. Unfortunately, high heat can have potentially life-threatening effects. As school athletics ramp up and the…
Training the Future

South Florida State College’s New Center for Nursing Excellence Takes aim at Nurse Shortage by PAUL CATALA The combination of a new learning environment, updated labs and equipment, and a partnership with area hospitals is what’s anticipated to be the perfect prescription for producing highly skilled nurses. Avon Park’s South Florida State College recently welcomed…
Pop Quiz!

Eyesight Is an Important Part of Your Child’s Back-to-School Kit As children gear up for back-to-school, it’s important to make sure we send them with one of the most important supplies: healthy eyes. Children’s eyes change quickly, so it’s important to watch for small problems to catch them before they become bigger problems. Take our…

A Pain in Your Foot

Your feet shouldn’t hurt. When painful feet prevent you from walking, running or wearing shoes there is a reason. There are many causes of foot pain and determining the reason for pain is the first step to treating the pain. SOME COMMON CAUSES Gout: This is very common in the big toe and causes redness,…
Does Charcoal Toothpaste Really Whiten Teeth?

If you’re like most people, you want your smile to be as white as possible, and that might have led you to charcoal toothpaste. Sellers and manufacturers of charcoal toothpaste maintain that this (usually) black toothpaste or powder will get you as white a smile as you could want. However, do their claims hold up?…
What You Need to Know About Pediatric Heart Murmurs

We all want our children to be healthy and active, so what do you do when your child is diagnosed with a heart murmur? Well, the short answer is, nothing. In most cases, the heart murmurs that occur in children are deemed “innocent.” They may also be called “functional” or “physiologic,” but these three terms…