Sarasota Edition

Most people associate speech therapy with the ability or lack there of to speak, and therapy associated with that. Speech rehabilitation is only a small part of what speech therapist do. In fact, speech-language therapists have many responsibilities in acute-care settings, medical inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation and rehabilitation in the home care setting. Speech Therapist work closely with physician specialists …

By Dr John Rand, D.V.M. This time of year the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-426-4435) receives considerably more phone calls than usual. Friends and relatives who come to visit may leave bags out where pets may have access to their medications. Keep any and all medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, safely away from your pets at all times. The …

The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time of good cheer, parties and family gatherings, but it is not unusual for many of us to feel  sad, lonely or even anxious during the holidays. This condition, which has come to be called “holiday blues,” can occur with any holiday or vacation time.  It commonly happens at the end of …

By Arlene Knox, Senior Director of Development, Florida SouthWestern State College Foundation I have a pile of envelopes on my desk.  Some are multi-colored, some with pictures of children and families, others with printed messages of hope, and still some with beautiful stamps and graphics. It is the holiday season, and while many are from friends and family, many were …

By James W. Mallonee Consider the following situation, the children come to visit over the holidays and they begin to remark about your confusion or failing to manage your day-to-day activities.  They also begin assisting you frequently and state that you seem to be having difficulty with your vision and remembering things.  Moreover the children begin asking questions about what …

By Sandy Keir, CFP®, Suncoast Advisory Group I met a lovely woman at a charity function last week and we started talking about our families, where we came from and how we ended up on Florida’s Suncoast.   She told me that she owns her own company and that she’s very excited about the good year it’s having.  I congratulated her …

Answers to help you make the right decisions. The annual election period runs from October 15 through December 7. During this time, those on Medicare have to make decisions and select options that will affect their health and financial wellbeing. In the weeks leading up to October, Medicare beneficiaries will receive between five and ten pounds of printed materials, all …

By Gary M. Bunch, MD, F.A.C.S. – Chances are, right now you would like to (or need to) lose some weight, build some muscle and get in better shape, or maybe you just want to live a better, healthier lifestyle. Dr. Bunch of Bradenton Surgical Group will challenge the way you think about slimming down and shaping up, by introducing …

By Suhail A. Khoury, M.D., F.A.C.P., Ph.D. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a multi-system disease characterized by chronic elevation of blood glucose. The etiology of DM is either related to lack of insulin production (Type 1, or juvenile DM 1) or to the lack of response to insulin (Type 2, or adult onset DM 2). This summary is limited to DM …

Courtesy of The Eye Associates Diabetes affects your entire body, including your eyes. According to The American Academy of Ophthalmology, diabetics are 25 times more likely to lose vision than those without this disease. The most common complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, and the longer you have diabetes, the more likely it is that you’ll develop diabetic retinopathy. High …