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Pop Quiz: Think You Know Thyroid Disorders? Think Again

Weight gain and weight loss are common occurrences in any adult’s lifetime, but unexplained weight fluctuations can be the result of a thyroid problem. Issues with your thyroid can have long-lasting side effects for your health beyond just weight loss or weight gain, so it’s not an issue that you want to ignore. January is…
Fostering a Resolution

Fitness Club Tailors Training to Individual Needs by PAUL CATALA Robin Chaddick of Lakeland has lost 6 percent of body fat since beginning a regular exercise routine and diet in April. She says the guidance, expertise, and patience of the staff at the Lakeland Athletic Club played a key role in her success so…
Surviving the Season

Tips to Help Your Holidays Feel Less ‘Run Rudolph Run’ and More ‘Silent Night’ by MATT COBBLE It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us once more. As wonderful as it is to head back to the holiday celebrations after so long apart due to the pandemic, there is always the…

Signs & symptoms: When your skin needs medical attention

As a surgeon who often treats and cares for patients whose ailments of the skin have gone too long without medical attention, I’d like to talk about the importance of seeing a doctor right away if you find abnormalities on the skin. I hope people can be aware that it is not only important…
Body, mind & spirit: Integrating primary and behavioral care

When you go to the doctor complaining of stomach pain, you probably don’t expect your problem to be depression. But it just may be. When you complain of headache, clumsiness, dizziness, shakiness, blurred vision, tingling around the mouth and seizures, you might expect an anxiety or bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. You may be surprised if…
Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular health

Dr. Sean P. O’Rourke is a board-certified cardiologist at Watson Clinic. With a subspecialty in cardiovascular disease, Dr. O’Rourke often sees patients suffering from heart disease. He took the time to answer some questions about heart disease, which has a higher death rate in Polk County than in the rest of Florida. Health…