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Creature Comforts

Winter Haven Hospital Volunteer Crochets Octopuses to Soothe NICU Babies by PAUL CATALA Gabriele Robinson has found a unique way to help premature babies. The Winter Haven Hospital volunteer crochets miniature octopus dolls for newborns in the Women’s Hospital Neonatal Infant Care Unit. Robinson, who has been creating the creatures of comfort since October, says…
Revamp Your Resolutions

Frame Your Goals for the New Year in Positive Language by MATT COBBLE As the last days of 2019 tick away, the blank canvas of 2020 stands dauntingly ahead. Many of us will aim for self-improvement by way of New Year’s Resolutions. However, statistically speaking, the majority of resolutions are disregarded or forgotten by the…
Expanding Care

Lakeland Regional’s Behavioral Health Center to Address Acute Need in Area by TERESA SCHIFFER Mental and behavioral health issues continue to be a major concern in the United States, and Central Florida is not immune to these problems. The unfortunate reality is that in Polk County, there is just one mental health provider for every…

A Pain in Your Foot

Your feet shouldn’t hurt. When painful feet prevent you from walking, running or wearing shoes there is a reason. There are many causes of foot pain and determining the reason for pain is the first step to treating the pain. SOME COMMON CAUSES Gout: This is very common in the big toe and causes redness,…
Does Charcoal Toothpaste Really Whiten Teeth?

If you’re like most people, you want your smile to be as white as possible, and that might have led you to charcoal toothpaste. Sellers and manufacturers of charcoal toothpaste maintain that this (usually) black toothpaste or powder will get you as white a smile as you could want. However, do their claims hold up?…
What You Need to Know About Pediatric Heart Murmurs

We all want our children to be healthy and active, so what do you do when your child is diagnosed with a heart murmur? Well, the short answer is, nothing. In most cases, the heart murmurs that occur in children are deemed “innocent.” They may also be called “functional” or “physiologic,” but these three terms…