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Eye surgeon leaves the choice of anesthesia up to the patient

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m 78 years old and in pretty good health. I walk 3 miles four times a week, bike 8 miles once a week, and lift weights twice a week. Besides eye drops for glaucoma, the only medication I take is 20 mg of lovastatin each day. Due to corneal edema, I’ll be having a partial cornea transplant. My surgeon has asked me to decide which anesthesia I want: MAC or LMA. Can you explain the difference between them? Any advice or insights regarding these two forms of anesthesia would be helpful. — C.W.S. ANSWER: MAC is monitored anesthesia care, which is used with a regional ...

Never trust a politician

The woman in the grocery store checkout line had an accent. While we waited for our items to be rung up, I asked her where she was from. “Argentina,” she said. “Is the inflation rate in Argentina under 100 percent yet?” I asked. She smiled, “ That’s what the politicians say, but I never trust a politician.” I laughed. What a wise woman, I thought. That sentiment is getting around. I immediately thought of the American politicians who defended former representative and former candidate for California governor, Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Some background for those with ...

Dear Annie: How and when to unpack your baggage

Dear Annie: I have now been married and divorced three times, with a total of over 37 years of married life. Though I doubt I will marry again at this stage of life, I would like to find a woman interested in a lasting, serious relationship. In trying online dating services, thus far I have found most women run the other way or quickly giving me the brush-off when I tell them, in the spirit of being honest and upfront, about my being divorced multiple times, plus having been estranged by my three daughters. In sharing these facts of my past, the two options both appear to be doomed to ...

Reader maintains that gabapentin altered parents’ mental states

DEAR DR. ROACH: You have commented on gabapentin before. This seems to be a miracle drug that they’re giving out to everyone for everything. However, I’m absolutely convinced that this drug made both of my parents crazy. Both were given gabapentin in the hospital, and I absolutely felt that it altered their mental state. For the record, both were in their 80s and were hospitalized after falls. — K.W. ANSWER: Gabapentin (Neurontin and others) is frequently used for several conditions. It’s only indicated by the Food and Drug Administration for a particular type of seizures and ...

Keeping dangerous synthetic kratom out of the hands of our children

Federal and state health agencies are increasingly warning citizens about the opioid-like effects of synthetic kratom products known as 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warnings include high blood pressure, confusion, seizures, nausea and vomiting, liver damage and, in some cases, death. The higher the concentration of 7-OH, the greater the potential for harm. Yet these products can be purchased by consumers with little understanding of what they contain or the risks they pose. They are increasingly available online, in smoke shops and at gas ...

Before Pennsylvania legalizes E-bikes, it must get safety right

Pennsylvania is confronting a growing public-safety challenge involving e-bikes, e-scooters and other micromobility devices. The concern is no longer theoretical. PennDOT reported bicyclist fatalities rose from 19 in 2024 to 28 in 2025, with 12 killed riding e-bikes. This summer, a 12-year-old York County boy died following an e-bike collision with a pickup truck. And last year, the death of 12-year-old Abigail “Abby” Gillon in a Delaware County e-scooter crash became the catalyst for Senate Bill 1008, known as Abby’s Law. The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association respects ...