Health News

Features

Pop Quiz! Put the Pro in Probiotics

There are plenty of adages extolling the importance of the gut: “an army marches on its stomach,” “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” and “go with your gut feeling,” are just a few. Doctors and scientists are adding another: “gut health affects overall health.” There are trillions of bacteria, viruses, and…
The Heart of the Matter

Area Physicians Weigh In on ECGs for Student Athletes by PAUL CATALA As the school year ramps up, parents are busy lining up appointments so their student athletes can get their sports physicals. Over the past decade, there’s been increased interest in the incorporation of electrocardiogram heart screenings in these physicals. An electrocardiogram, or ECG,…
When Heroes Need Help

New Initiative Seeks to Connect Veterans and First Responders With Mental Health Resources by RYAN MILEJCZAK A new initiative here in Central Florida seeks to help veterans and first responders struggle with mental health challenges. The Heroes Wellness Collective, launched by Lake Wales-based Operation Recovery, seeks to create a centralized, online platform that connects veterans…

Medical Advice: 7 steps to living healthy with diabetes

I met a man once who said being diagnosed with diabetes saved his life. What a powerful statement that was. He explained that before being told he had diabetes, he didn’t pay attention to health habits that were causing him great harm. When he learned he had diabetes, he attended classes to learn to take…
Publisher’s Note: Florida launches a pain-pill database

With 2,710 deaths resulting in prescription drug overdoses last year, and after a bitter 10-year political debate, a Florida pain-pill database was launched on October 18. The purpose of enacting this new computer system is to help the medical community curtail drug addicts and traffickers from obtaining large quantities of pain pills. Unfortunately, Florida…
Signs & Symptoms

Seeing the Forest for the Trees with Prognostic Factor Testing Prognostic factor testing is critical for directing proper therapy in individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. We have known for quite some time that there are several different types of breast cancer. Some tumors grow slow. Some tumors grow fast. Some tumors rapidly spread to…