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Dear Annie: When language rubs the wrong way

Dear Annie: I live in a 55-plus community and have met many people and made lots of friends since moving in here. I am not a prude, but I find it very disturbing how the F-bomb and swearing is so prevalent in this community. I’m in my 60s, a baby boomer, a Christian and not a sheltered person, but I’m extremely annoyed by this behavior, especially among some of my closest friends. I know I can’t control others, only myself. Do I just ignore this and continue to be appalled (especially when God’s name is used in vain), or do I say something? — A Baby Boomer Dear Baby Boomer: ...

Shingles occurs in vaccinated woman for the fourth time

DEAR DR. ROACH: Have you ever heard of a fully vaccinated 79-year-old woman getting a repeat case of shingles? This is actually my fourth time having it. My first occurrence of shingles was when I was 26 years old, and it was on my torso. The next two occurrences were on my forehead, and I got antiviral medication for them. They subsided rather quickly, although I was left with some neurological aftereffects. When the first vaccine came out several years ago, I received it. Then as soon as Shingrix was available, I got both of these shots. This time, I’m on antiviral medication ...

The US used to be really dirty – environmental cleanup laws have made a huge difference

Growing up in the 1970s, I took for granted the trash piles along the highway, tires washed up on beaches, and smog fouling city air. The famed “Crying Indian” commercial of 1971 became a symbol of widespread environmental damage across the United States. That’s why the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, energized the nation. In the largest single-day public demonstration in U.S. history, roughly 10% of the population took to the streets to shout together: “Enough is enough!” Republican and Democratic politicians alike listened. Over the decade that followed, all the ...

Trapped in a cycle of comfort and guilt

Dear Annie: From the outside, my life looks steady and full. I have a thoughtful husband, grown children who stay in close touch, dear friends and work that gives my days purpose. I know I am fortunate, which only makes it harder to admit how much I am struggling in private. For years, I have carried pain from things that happened to me when I was young. I have done counseling and truly tried to make peace with the past. In many ways, I have built a happy life. But when stress creeps in, or I feel lonely, disappointed or overwhelmed, something in me still reaches for food as ...

A case of a symptomatic mensical tear might call for surgery

DEAR DR. ROACH: About eight months ago, I was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in my right knee. Over the course of six months, I received physical therapy and two cortisone shots and had fluid drained from my knee, but I still have pain when I walk. The pain level is about a 2 on scale of 1-10. But it’s discomforting, and I walk with a limp. The sports medicine doctor I saw didn’t recommend surgery and said to come back if the pain becomes unbearable, at around a 5 or 6. Should I get a second opinion on whether surgery will correct this? I’m 66 years old, and the pain/discomfort ...

Yes, of course, war settles things

Countless protest signs have informed us over the years that “war is not the answer.” We hear this message, with varying levels of sophistication and differing underlying worldviews, from institutions and people ranging from Code Pink to Pope Leo. “War does not solve problems,” the pontiff said in an Angelus address last year. “On the contrary, it amplifies them and causes deep wounds in the history of peoples — wounds that take generations to heal.” Now, there are many things that can be said about the tragedy of warfare without crediting the blatantly ahistorical ...