Health News

Features

Vaccination, Early Detection Key to Fighting Cervical Cancer

by TIM CRAIG Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month, and Central Florida Health Care is spending the month reminding women (and men!) that there are two key factors in fighting this disease: vaccination and early detection. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 14,480 new cases…
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…

Publisher’s Note: Update on Florida Health Choices

In early March, www.myfloridachoices.org became live. It is the website devoted to Florida Health Choices (the state’s health insurance marketplace, separate from the federal plans under the Affordable Care Act). The state’s health insurance marketplace offers a few options for discounted plans under dental, vision, telemedicine, and prescription coverage. It’s important to note that this…
Medical Advice: Awareness is key to stopping upward trend of STDs

Every year in April, we observe STD Awareness Month. This is an opportunity for individuals, doctors, and communities to address ways to prevent some of the nearly 20 million sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that occur in the United States each year. Half of all new infections occur among people between the ages of 15 to…
Ask a Nurse: Dental plaque & arterial plaque

Have you ever wondered what the dentist scrapes off of your teeth when you go in for your annual cleaning? Several studies over the past few years have found some surprising results. In 2010, Cornell University and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden collected samples from the mouth, gut, and arteries of 15 heart disease patients.…