Nearly a million Floridians signed up for health care plans sold through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, the most of any state that used the federal marketplace rather than create one of its own. But the final enrollment counts, released Thursday by the Obama administration, can't...
As health care professionals, we see the effects of smoking every day and night. Since Nov. 19, 2009, Lee Memorial Health System has been tobacco-free, meaning that all forms of tobacco, including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, are prohibited on system properties—both owned and leased. Prior...
There will come a time — not too far in the future — when a mother will be able to test her own child for strep throat in the middle of the night instead of running to an urgent care clinic. This is just one of...
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam was joined today by Sen. Rene Garcia, Sen. Bill Montford and others to launch the new campaign “Living Healthy in Florida.” Last year, Sen. Garcia asked the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to collaborate with other agencies...
People who recently had a minor stroke are more likely to get their cholesterol and blood pressure under control if they see a pharmacist periodically as compared to a nurse, a new study found. Keeping cholesterol and blood pressure in check is important because high levels...
Fly fishing has healing properties — and that's no fish tale. Casting for Recovery, a national non-profit organization, puts on 42 fly fishing retreats a year for breast cancer patients and survivors. Last month, the organization held a retreat in Lake Mary, and Carol Amster of...
You're familiar with blood pressure tests, cholesterol screenings and blood workups to analyze your health. But did you know there are lesser-known, noninvasive tests that often detect signs of an underlying disease? The five modified tests that follow may pick up warning signs of dementia,...
The headline in this morning’s Wall Street Journal caught my eye: “We Actually Get Nicer With Age.” Wow! So much for the stereotype of the grumpy old man and the cranky old lady. According to the article, as people get older, they report increases in positive...
The irony does not escape me that as I sit down to write this article on skin cancer, I have just had my own skin cancer scare. As is so common, I had my share of childhood sunburns. So when my dermatologist examined the small lesion...
Thrashing about while you’re asleep may be a sign of something more troubling than mere restlessness: It could be a predictor of brain disease. A new study suggests that 80 to 90 percent of people who suffer from Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder will eventually...