Dear Amy: I live in a country that celebrates a tradition that I am, at best, uneasy with. It involves a bizarre ritual by which parents of small children routinely lie to them about the existence of an elderly domestic intruder who supposedly brings small chocolate statues of himself along with toys and gifts once a year (spoiler alert: the parents buy this stuff ).
Q: Sugar is essential for brain function, and you can’t live without it. So, why all the fuss about sugary foods? -- Dorothy R., Terra Haute, Indiana A: There’s a big difference between added sugars and those naturally found in fruits and grains. Added sugar is often engineered -- for example, high fructose corn syrup, added to prepared foods and snacks, is nowhere in nature! It causes impaired muscle function with insulin resistance, inflammation, high triglycerides, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, increases your appetite and promotes obesity. And all added sugars -- sucrose, glucose, fructose -- add up to health woes. So can processed foods that remove fiber, like orange juice. A whole orange has 10-13 grams of sugar and lots of fiber; a 16-ounce glass of orange juice delivers 48 grams of sugar with no moderating fiber.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 71-year-old female in good health who is quite physically active. I have been taking red yeast rice with CoQ10 to help with my cholesterol levels. (My son-in-law, who is a chiropractor and pretty knowledgeable about supplements, suggested this to me.) My cholesterol levels are still somewhat high, but my doctor has not pressed me to start a statin drug. My husband and a good friend of ours both had high cholesterol levels and started taking a statin drug. Both developed neuropathy and feel that the drug had a part in that. I do not want to take a chance on taking a statin drug.
Merriam-Webster defines humanity as “compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition.” It is also defined as “the quality or condition of being human.” The first definition is what people want in a health care provider. We all want to be taken care of by a caregiver who is compassionate, kind, sympathetic, and generous with their time and knowledge. Health care providers spend countless hours taking care of patients. In order to do this, at times we ignore our own needs for rest, sleep, and food. We recite mantras of “first do no harm” and “the patient comes first.” Many of us strive for this vision of the “perfect” provider or to be a “health care hero” as we were called during the pandemic.
Dear Amy: I have an extended family member whose son is gay. He has been in a relationship with his live-in partner for many years.
DEAR DR. ROACH: How do I know if I have arthritis? My left leg makes a slight cracking noise in my knee when I walk down the stairs, but no pain. However, when I go for a long drive, I limp when getting out of the car, which kind of goes away and does not hurt my knee. Long walks also bother me. When I went to a specialist, he said I needed therapy. I went to some sessions, but it did not help! When I told my doctor, he said, “Oh, that’s just arthritis.” (Note: This is the leg that was broken when a drunk driver hit me at age 22. I’m now in my mid-60s.) Also, my family has no history of arthritis. I also don’t know how someone can give me therapy if they don’t know what’s wrong? -- Anon.
7:15PM. The center atrium at the mall. A large, temporary structure houses “The North Pole”, an ad-hoc collection of holiday lights and fake snow. Rob weaves his way past a “Closed” sign, through the short maze where a line usually forms, and pokes his head behind the curtain.
We all have a tendency to take things for granted. It is amazing to me how quickly providing something new goes from a wonderful surprise to an expectation that better be provided in the future. But beyond this, we all get used to our experience to the point that we just don’t understand that others don’t have the same one. We are not being selfish or spoiled, at least not knowingly. We just never experienced differently than it’s always been.
Serving as your attorney general these past 12 years – the second longest tenure in Kansas history – has been a privilege. Most of the quiet good our professional team accomplished made few headlines: We recovered $1.1 billion for Kansas consumers and taxpayers, far more than any prior administration, while spending less than $300 million running the office – a nearly four-to-one return on investment.
Dear Amy: My daughter is 33 and is a kind, caring person. She has a good job and a devoted boyfriend who is living with her in a house that we helped her buy.