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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.…

A Watery Dry Eye

A Paradox Gritty, sandy, scratchy… watery? Can all those words be used to describe dry eyes? In short, yes! Dry Eye Syndrome is a mystery for patients because the symptoms can be variable! Paradoxical Dry Eye is what eye doctors call Dry Eye Syndrome in patients whose main symptom is constant tearing. So, grab your…
The Link Between Obesity, Vascular Disease

Loving ourselves and taking care of our health to prevent or delay the onset of chronic conditions is an important aspect of our health. This is the fourth part of a series focusing on lifestyle management for the prevention of vascular disease. In previous columns, we’ve addressed smoking cessation, blood pressure regulation, and the…
Hypertension and Vascular Disease

In the previous two issues, we addressed smoking cessation and the importance of sugar control. In this edition, we will look at the role of hypertension in the prevention of vascular disease and how we can make lifestyle choices that can prevent or delay the onset of hypertension. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects…