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Features

How to decide among COVID-19 booster options

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 65-year-old man in good health. In March 2021 I received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. I understand I am eligible to receive a booster. I also understand that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says I may receive any of the three vaccines, but that they ...

How do I address the racism in my husband’s family?

Dear Annie: I am in an interracial relationship and am a stepparent to a 7-year-old daughter. When COVID-19 came, my mother-in-law was without a job and in between places. We have only two bedrooms, one for us and one for my stepdaughter. My mother-in-law had no place to go, so we offered ...

For older people at risk, statins still make sense

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 79-year-old woman in good physical condition -- a gardener and lap swimmer. The only medication I take is vitamin D. My cholesterol readings for the past few years have shown a total cholesterol of about 200, with HDL 77 and LDL of 105. Is this normal for me? My ratio ...

Somatic therapy could help with trauma; worth a try

Dear Annie: I’m a 45-year-old-male and have had many traumatic events in my past, including abuses too bad to name. My problem is, as I was growing up, I was so mistreated that I never learned how to feel. I had to suppress everything I was feeling and disconnect from my emotions and body to ...

When used correctly, osteoporosis meds protect all bones

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 79-year-old woman with osteoporosis. My doctor has prescribed alendronate (Fosamax) for me. My understanding was that this medication was to prevent a hip fracture, but she now says that it will also strengthen other bones in my body, including those in my back. Is this ...

Wisdom from ‘Walden’; inspires us to live life

Dear Readers: I hope you enjoy some quotes below from one of my favorite poets, Henry David Thoreau. May he inspire you to live your lives to the fullest, spend time with nature, seek truth and always choose kindness and love. Follow you dreams; live deliberately, wild and free. “I learned ...