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Oil isn’t just fuel: Iran conflict could disrupt markets for everything from plastics to fertilizers

Tensions in the Middle East often trigger concerns about rising gasoline prices. But disruptions to oil supplies could affect much more than the cost of filling up a car. That’s because crude oil is not only burned as fuel. It is also the raw material for thousands of products that modern societies depend on, including plastics, fertilizers, clothing fibers, medicines and electronics. As a biochemist, I’m interested in how certain chemicals can shape society, and oil is a prime example. The stakes become clearer when looking at the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran ...

Sending St. Patrick’s Day blessings

Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today has a funny way of sneaking past the noise and landing somewhere tender. Yes, there are parades and pints and an impressive amount of green, but underneath all that is something quieter: a tradition of wishing one another well. That might sound small, but it isn’t. A good wish, offered sincerely, is one of the simplest forms of care. It says, “I see you,” without asking for a long explanation. And in a world where so many people are carrying private worries, that kind of gentleness matters. Irish blessings ...

Getting valve replacement surgery for a case of calcification

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 79-year-old female. Recently, I was diagnosed with moderate calcification of leaflets on my mitral valve. I have no symptoms but heard from a recent talk that even moderate calcification could indicate surgery. I was taking a D3 supplement but have now stopped. Would taking a K2 supplement have prevented my condition? My doctor did not suggest it. Could taking a K2 supplement possibly slow down the progress of calcium buildup? Do I need a calcium score test? I am hoping not to have the invasive open-heart surgery since it requires taking a blood thinner ...

Today’s obsession with authenticity isn’t new – being true to yourself has troubled philosophers for centuries

Today’s youth cherish “authenticity,” but is it a virtue? According to a report from Ernst & Young, more than 9 in 10 Gen Z respondents indicated that being authentic and true to yourself is extremely or very important. In fact, most of them claimed authenticity is more important than any other personal value. This finding is not all that surprising: All of us live in an age where we’re bombarded by social media and artificial intelligence — when striving to be your authentic self becomes an increasingly difficult task. Yet, even if it has somehow become a common goal, ...

Dear Annie: I didn’t sign up to host spring breakers

Dear Annie: I adore my cousins, I really do. We grew up together, and when they suggested coming to stay with us for a long weekend, I was genuinely excited. I pictured late-night laughs, good meals, maybe a hike, maybe some time catching up without phones buzzing every two seconds. Instead, it turned into “Spring Break: Middle-Aged Edition.” By 3 p.m. on the first day, one of them popped open a drink and announced, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!” Then another. Then another. Pretty soon they were camped out on my patio like it was an all-inclusive resort, and I felt like the ...

A true statement about cancer causes intense worry in reader

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your column every day. In a recent column. you wrote: “Since age is the major risk factor in getting cancer, it is likely that some people who were cured of their original cancer will later succumb to a different one.” This statement terrified me as I fall into this category. I had a lobectomy in 2009 to remove a stage IA lung cancer that had not spread and for which I was not prescribed chemo or radiation. Annual CT scans since then have all been negative except for a pulmonary embolism in 2014, which resulted in a blood-thinner prescription. I’m told ...