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Start the New Year in the Right Mindset

by RYAN MILEJCZAK Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care The holidays are a time full of family, presents, and excitement. But for many, this time of year can also bring on stress and depression. The natural stress of family life and the pressures that come with the holidays can make it tough to enter the…
Pop Quiz! Kiss Chapped Lips Goodbye This Winter

The winter season is brutal on our lips, no matter where in the country we live. While the Sunshine State does not see the cold and snow of the states to the north, it does get colder and much drier than other times of year; both are bad news for your lips. Add in travel,…
Adapting to Changing Needs

Florida Southern College Adds Nursing Master’s Program in Mental Health by REBEKAH PIERCE Florida Southern College is flipping the script and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. With mental health problems becoming more prevalent (a report in JAMA Health Forum noted that 38% more people are receiving mental health treatment now than in 2020), it’s…

Editor’s Dose: Tips for minimizing back-to-school stress

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, then come early July you were already thinking about preparations for the new school year. Parents and children in the community this year are getting ready extra early because Polk County public schools moved up their calendar by one week — day one of school is August 15.
Making the choice to breastfeed

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH in Polk County (DOH-Polk) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recognize August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. This is a wonderful time of year to promote breastfeeding as a vital health activity and discuss the health benefits breastfeeding provides. Although every woman has their own…
Editor’s Dose: Keeping kids’ bodies and minds active this summer

WHEN I FIRST had the twins, my mom would say, “Have a schedule for them, or they’ll have a schedule for you.” Basically, she was cautioning that I’d better keep those little minds and bodies active, or chaos would inevitably ensue. Being a mother of eight children, I think she was speaking from personal experience.…