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Pop Quiz! Beware of Interactions Between Medications and Herbal Supplements

July is Herbal/Prescription Interaction Awareness Month, and it’s time to talk about some common interactions between herbal supplements and prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. Most people will take at least one prescription medication in their lives, and some estimates maintain that about 70 percent of those age 60 and older take at least one herbal medication…
Vitiligo Vigilance

Protection Is Key During Florida’s Intense Summers by PAUL CATALA Not long after Tonja Johnson was diagnosed, she knew her days out in the direct summer sun were, for the most part, over. In 2013, Johnson was living in Lakeland and working as a program manager for the Hillsborough County Department of Health. It was…
New Face at Winter Haven Hospital

Chief Medical Officer Brings Optimism, Drive to BayCare Facility by TERESA SCHIFFER BayCare’s Winter Haven Hospital welcomed new Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Davidyock on May 31. Davidyock is board-certified in internal medicine and hails from eastern Pennsylvania, near Lehigh Valley in the Philadelphia region, where he had been practicing medicine for about 15 years.…

Get healthy STAT!

Weighing in on National Statistics Take a Shot 13 percentage of parents not vaccinating children on the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended schedule. Source: U.S. CDC The rates in Polk County of parents not completing immunizations on time is 1.6 percent for kindergarten and 1.3 percent for seventh grade, but they…
My ‘double trouble’ story

Being a mom of twins, I can relate to the percentage increase in twin births on a personal level. It was my first pregnancy, and I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I discovered I was carrying more than one fetus. At 8 weeks gestation, I went into my doctor’s office for complications.…
Planning your plate for Memorial Day

Memorial Day, May 28, is a time to remember those who have given their lives for our freedom. It dates back to just after the civil war. Like Thanksgiving, it’s a time for reflection and a time to look ahead . . . and after the somber part, to look ahead to ribs, chicken wings,…