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Pollenpalooza

Your Spring Allergy Survival Guide by SEAN JARVIS If there is any doubt that spring is here, those of us in Central Florida need to do little more than look outside. That yellow cast over cars, lawns, sidewalks, and driveways isn’t sunshine. It’s pollen. And for many people, it heralds the beginning of the…
The Hope of Hospice

Care When a Cure Is Not an Option by BRENDA EGGERT BRADER photos courtesy of VITAS Healthcare While many people are familiar with the term hospice, most don’t fully understand the broad range of care it includes. End-of-life decisions can be wrought with emotion and trepidation, and while hospice is there to tend to the…
Acknowledging Disparities in Health Care Is a Crucial First Step

Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care by TERESA SCHIFFER April is National Minority Health Month, a time to recognize the disparities in health care received too often by minority populations in the U.S. and to work together toward solutions for these issues. Established in 1915 by Dr. Booker T. Washington, Minority Health Month reminds…

Editor’s Dose: A thank-you letter to nurses

FROM MID-FEBRUARY to about mid-April, my family was at the doctor’s office a lot. The late-spreading flu season (although none of us in our household ever actually caught the flu — thank goodness) must have carried with it many other viruses, because we’ve certainly experienced our fair share. In fact, a few nurses on staff…
Healthy Skin: May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

“C’MON, DOC. What’s a little sunburn?” is a question I frequently hear from the public. The answer is, if you’re lucky, that’s all it is. But a little sunburn is one of the easiest skin cancer risk factors to avoid. If left untreated, skin cancer, or melanoma, can progress to the point that it’s disfiguring…
Cautions for two of your favorite summer activities

SPRING IS THE TIME OF YEAR in Florida when temperatures begin to warm and the weather is perfect outside. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, this beautiful weather also marks the beginning of swimming season for Polk’s residents. Swimming and boating are two of the most popular summer activities for people living…