Researching the best choice

Vaccinations have been a hot topic for several years now. There are many passionate people on both sides of the fence of whether or not these shots are causing their body harm or giving them the protection they need to stay healthy.

In this issue, you will read an in-depth feature on the subject. We interviewed professionals and parents who gave their reasons for why they vaccinate or why they don’t. They give detailed responses to many questions about their views on vaccinations. And doctors and health-care professionals give their expertise and share what they think people should know when making that important decision to vaccinate or not.

I know as a parent of six children that all we want is the best for our kids and for them to stay healthy and live a long life protected from all the bacteria and germs in the world. All we can do, however, is stay as informed as we can and make the best decisions we can for our children.

That’s one reason why we decided to do this feature, to shed light on what we all need to know when making these decisions for our kids and ourselves.

For this issue, I also wanted to remind our readers that we have a monthly column that has been published in this magazine for almost 10 years. We are honored to showcase nationally admired financial guru Dave Ramsey. He’s the author of “The Total Money Makeover” workbook and “The Money Answer Book” and the founder of courses such as Financial Peace University and Foundations Curriculum. Don’t forget to check out his column, “Dave Says,” each month and look for ways to better manage your money. Wishing you much health and happiness.

Doug Akers / President doug@akersmediagroup.com

Kendra Akers / Publisher/Editor-In-Chief kendra@akersmediagroup.com

Sabrina Ciceri / Associate Publisher sabrina@akersmediagroup.com editorial, design & photography

Jason Fugate Creative Director jason@akersmediagroup.com

Leigh Neely Managing Editor leigh@akersmediagroup.com

James Combs Staff Writer james@akersmediagroup.com

Theresa Campbell Staff Writer theresa@akersmediagroup.com

Chris Gerbasi Staff Writer chris@akersmediagroup.com

Anthony Rao Staff Photographer anthony@akersmediagroup.com

Volkan Ulgen Art Director volkan@akersmediagroup.com

Michael Gaulin Production Director michael@akersmediagroup.com

Douglas Tyler Designer douglas@akersmediagroup.com

Megan Mericle Designer megan@akersmediagroup.com

Nicole Hamel Staff Photographer nicole@akersmediagroup.com contributing writers

Dr. Richard T. Bosshardt, Dave Ramsey, Vilma Rosario, Dr. Keith Kantor, Jan Hranicky, Teresa Stickney, Dan Noble, Dr. Charles Reinertsen, Christy Wright sales & marketing

Tim McRae

Vice President, Sales tim@akersmediagroup.com

Melanie Melvin Director of Marketing melanie@akersmediagroup.com

Dillon True Advertising Executive dillon@akersmediagroup.com

Shaena Long Sales Assistant shaena@akersmediagroup.com administration

Deb Matlock Director of Client Services deb@akersmediagroup.com

Aubrey Akers Simmons aubrey@akersmediagroup.com distribution

Scott Hegg / Distribution Manager scott.hegg@akersmediagroup.com

Sabrina

COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? Our goal is to provide you with the best quality publication, so your feedback is vital.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

Big Bike Weekend, an event that is a partnership between the Sumter Landing Bicycle Club and The Villages Regional Hospital Auxiliary Foundation, is planned for Nov. 8-10. Funds raised at this annual event go to support TVRH. So far, there has been an increase in participants every year, and one of the most popular elements of this event is the cycling teams. Team categories include health services, restaurants, wealth management, cycling clubs, armed forces, colleges, and small businesses. Teams within each category compete to win the traveling trophy. Time to start getting your team together or preparing yourself for the race. Get information at h4hbikeweekend.com.

Learn To Swim

Many people tend to think you reach an age when you no longer need to learn to swim. Don Shepherd says that’s just not true. He teaches classes for beginning swimmers through the Enrichment Academy in The Villages. “I offer classes to those who want to learn to swim and to those who wish to be stronger and better swimmers,” Don says. Classes are held from April to Dec. 19. For information, call Don at 352.775.9878.

CREAMY— AND HEALTHY—MAC AND CHEESE

Pamela’s White Cheddar Mac is glutenfree, made with organic pasta, and has 13 grams of protein in a serving. Two staff members pronounced it delicious as an entrée. The beautiful plated photo above was prepared by a staff member. It hits all the right marks and is tasty and flavorful as well, with a thick, creamy cheese sauce. Other healthy products by Pamela’s include Spicy Mac N’ Cheese, Creamy Alfredo Penne, Creamy Mushroom Penne, and Vegan Mac. If you’re looking for healthy cookies for kids’ lunches, you may want to try the Whenever Bar (oat, chocolate chip, coconut) or Figgies & Jammies Big Fig bar.

Americans And Smoking

Cigarettes began carrying health warnings in 1965. Here is current data on smoking from the National Institutes of Health for both men and women:

58.6%

NEVER SMOKED

21.2%

FORMER SMOKERS

GOT PAIN? CHILL

The staff of Healthy Living received a sample of Asutra Chill Pain Away and found it very effective for some types of chronic or temporary pain. It is great for sore, achy muscles or cramps anywhere on the body. You can apply the unscented cream and go anywhere without anyone knowing you’re treating your pain. It is a combination of magnesium and pure CBD, which is why it works so quickly and so well. However, it contains less than 3 percent of THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis.

THEY’RE ALL THE RAVE

RAVE Reviews, a rankings website based on advanced data-driven analysis, recently released its list of “Best Paleo-Friendly Protein Powders.” (ravereviews.org/health/best-paleo-friendly-protein-powders/) RAVE compared reviews from sources across the internet and factored in protein source, value for money, and, most importantly, quality of ingredients to come up with this list:

• Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Protein (Franklin, Tennessee)

• BulkSupplements Paleo Beef Isolate (Henderson, Nevada)

• Health Warrior Superfood Protein Powder and Probiotic (Richmond, Virginia)

• Julian Bakery Paleo Protein (Oceanside, California)

• Left Coast Performance Organic Bone Broth Protein (Calgary, Canada)

• PaleoPro Protein (Vista, California)

• PerfectKeto (Austin, Texas)

• Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel (Oxnard, California)

• Equip Prime Protein (San Francisco, California)

• Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides (Chicago, Illinois)

Cfh Announces New Director

Central Florida Health recently announced the appointment of Sonya M. Zeller, DNP, MBA, RN, as director of corporate quality.

“We are excited that Dr. Zeller has joined our team to lead our clinical quality efforts,” says Phyllis Baum, vice president and chief quality officer for Central Florida Health. “Excellence in clinical quality and patient experience are two of our organization’s main priorities and are consistent with Dr. Zeller’s long track record of success

4.4% in leading teams in these efforts during her illustrious career in executive leadership.”

As system director of quality, Sonya will oversee and direct all quality management activities at Leesburg Regional Medical Center. This includes infection control, accreditation compliance and readiness, performance improvement, patient safety, and the cancer program.

15.8%