Health News

Features

New Doctors in a New Era

Pandemic Offers Unique Education for Medical Residents Starting Their Careers by PAMELA PALONGUE Dr. Akhila Reddy likes practicing family medicine because it provides her with the opportunity to interact with people of all ages and backgrounds, from babies to geriatric patients, with a plethora of medical needs. One thing she couldn’t possibly have foreseen when…
Deep Dive Into the Delta Variant

Lakeland Regional Health’s Dr. Haight Talks About the Latest Threat by TERESA SCHIFFER With new cases of COVID-19 rising throughout Florida, if you have been hesitant to get vaccinated, this could be a good time to commit to that. New cases have spiked in the past month from about 23,000 new cases per week throughout…
Make It OK!

Peace River Center Campaign Aims to Quash Stigma Associated With Mental Illness by TERESA SCHIFFER With one in five people experiencing a mental health issue at some point in their lives, it is vitally important that as a society we remove the stigma associated with mental illness in order to encourage those affected by…

Understanding Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are the most treatable form of blindness worldwide. Millions of cataract surgeries are performed each year, restoring patients to functional visual status. Cataract surgery was once the most common surgical procedure performed in the United States until about 6-11 years ago when intraocular anti-VEGF injections were developed to treat macular degeneration. This has…
Treatments That Help Lower Cholesterol

Last month I discussed the role of lipids in atherosclerosis. This month, I’ll talk about treatment. For patients at high risk or those who have had a cardiovascular event (prior heart attack, stroke, stent, bypass, etc.), pharmacological treatment may be needed. Cholesterol production and accumulation in the body involves three processes. First, intake from food…
The Role of Lipids in Atherosclerosis

Last time we spoke of the various factors that play a part in plaque buildup and rupture causing a heart attack/stroke. We discussed the role of inflammation. This time, we will discuss the role of lipids. We know these are important and these numbers can be impacted by various treatments. So the question to be…