DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 74 and in very good health. I’m active and walk twice daily. Maybe a few times a day I get a tickle in my throat that causes me to cough a few times. If I suck on a hard candy or take a drink of water, it is soothed. It […]
Advice
Posted inDear Abby
Only grandchild announces transition to living as a boy
DEAR ABBY: My granddaughter just informed me she has decided she would be happier living as a boy, and she has gone so far as to legally change her name. I want to be supportive, but I admit I’m having a lot of trouble accepting it, or at least figuring out how to deal with […]
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Posted inHoroscope
Cancer: Preparation will help you avoid loss
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jameela Jamil, 35; Rashida Jones, 45; Chelsea Handler, 46; Sean Astin, 50. Happy Birthday: You’ll be looking for answers this year, questioning everything and considering what to do next. Your energy is in high gear, and your desire to bring about change will keep you moving full speed ahead. Look […]
Posted inHoroscope
Gemini: Knowledge is powerful and will lead to opportunity and new beginnings
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: O’Shea Jackson Jr., 30; Billy Zane, 55; Helen Shaver, 70; Edward James Olmos, 74. Happy Birthday: Don’t limit what you can do. Verify facts, and move forward with confidence. Be willing to put in the energy and time required to make a difference. Positive acts will bring the results you […]
Posted inDear Abby
Punishment doesn’t fit crime after boy is caught with porn
DEAR ABBY: When I stopped by my brother’s house a couple of weeks ago, he mentioned that his 9-year-old son was grounded in his bedroom. He was being punished for snooping in his dad’s vintage collection of porn. At first I was upset with my brother and his wife, because it was their fault that […]
Posted inDr. Roach
The best reason to take vitamin D is when level is low
DEAR DR. ROACH: These days, when vitamin D is recommended at every turn, I need to be sure I am taking the right dose. When I took 5,000 IU daily, my blood calcium levels increased and my doctor said to cut back to 2,000 IU daily. Now I read that we should be taking 5,000 […]
Posted inHoroscope
Taurus: Change is only useful if it is beneficial
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Dakota Fanning, 27; Aziz Ansari, 38; Kristin Davis, 56; Patricia Richardson, 70. Happy Birthday: Put more time and effort into creative endeavors this year. Expand your interests, family or friendships. Learn something new, and take an interest in reconnecting with people or pastimes you miss. Push uncertainty into the background; […]
Posted inDear Abby
Sunny personality turns dark in the wake of a miscarriage
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I suffered a miscarriage five months ago, in the 12th week. I’m still not doing well. I have put on a facade to get by, but I’m just starting to realize how deeply this is affecting my life. I used to be a happy, friendly person. Always a smile on […]
Posted inDr. Roach
A calcium score can be a useful measure of heart attack risk
DEAR DR. ROACH: You mentioned checking a calcium score to help determine risk of having a heart attack. Please explain what that is. Thank you. — J.S. ANSWER: A coronary artery calcium score is a special kind of CT scan that looks for the presence of calcium in the arteries providing blood to heart muscle. […]
Posted inDr. Roach
No universally accepted level for post-melanoma monitoring
DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband developed melanoma, and had 16 of his lymph nodes removed. He was considered a cancer survivor, as one of the nodes was cancerous. He went for skin check-ups twice a year and was given an OK. Yet he died two months ago from tumors on his liver, lungs and brain. […]