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Dear Annie: Daughter-in-law is dictating family time

Dear Annie: I never imagined that after raising three children, loving them through every stage and being a hands-on mother, I would end up feeling like a stranger to my own grandchildren. My son married a woman who, at first, seemed organized and devoted. Over time, though, it has become clear that she likes to control every family interaction. Visits must happen only on her terms, at her convenience, and usually with a long list of rules. We are told what we can feed the children, what we can say, how long we can visit and sometimes whether we can visit at all. If we question ...

How waist sizes get reduced with CoolSculpting, laser and lipo

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had several abdominal surgeries decades ago. Now that I’m approaching 70, I cannot seem to lose my tummy. My waist is approaching 35 inches despite a strict Mediterranean-style diet, walking or biking for over 30 minutes daily, and weight lifting daily. I would like to consider a more aggressive approach. My goal is to reduce my waist size, and nothing seems to help. I’ve been eating healthy and exercising for years. I am happy with my health (low blood pressure, normal bone density, and normal labs). Could you enlighten me on procedures such as CoolSculpting, ...

Tasting Armageddon as conflict is downplayed

Science fiction has long held the ability to foretell possible futures, no matter how absurd they may seem at the time of publication. I’ve written before (and probably will again) about how my dad made sure I grew up with the original series of Star Trek — the brilliant, if at times goofy, one from the 60s. Sometimes, I wonder if that influential show had a direct impact on the future that we actually created — the communicators are perhaps the most obvious example, being cell phones in all but name and form. Perhaps kids who grew up with the show became scientists who ...

Trump avoiding repeating history in Iran

History doesn’t always repeat itself, or even rhyme. People sometimes learn from experience, their own or others’. Example: Woodrow Wilson, a stubborn Southerner, refused to involve any Republicans, all Northerners in those days, in treaty negotiations after World War I. His treaty version, which would require the United States to go to war on a vote of the League of Nations, was rejected by the Senate. Franklin Roosevelt, who had been Wilson’s assistant secretary of the Navy, included Republicans in post-war and treaty planning while World War II was still going on. That ...

Dear Annie: Forced to choose between love and a pet’s loyalty

Dear Annie: A friend of mine is facing a painful choice, and I can’t stop thinking about it. She has dogs she loves dearly, but the man she’s dating is allergic. Not “a little sneezy,” but truly can’t be around them. She feels like she’s being asked to choose between her pets and a relationship that could become something real. I keep thinking about an associate of mine from a local board. She was in a serious, loving relationship with a man who was kind, gracious and clearly devoted to her. The problem was her cat. He was allergic, and it wasn’t something he could just ...

Looking at alternatives for osteoporosis medications

DEAR DR. ROACH: At age 48, I underwent a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation for stage I breast cancer. All is good so far, but I started experiencing osteopenia in my mid-50s, perhaps earlier than I would have because of the chemo and estrogen-blocking meds. My mother also had osteoporosis. For the osteoporosis in my hip, I took alendronate for five years, but it did not stop the bone loss. I am now on Prolia, which has helped. I am healthy and fairly active. How long can one take Prolia with breaks in between, and what are your thoughts on alternatives? I am concerned about ...