Breaking News

Columns

Explaining the increase in risk when it comes to certain drugs

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you please explain the percentages that are given when a study indicates an increase for a particular risk? For example, say a person with mild coronary artery disease is at an increased risk of having a heart attack when taking certain drugs like meloxicam. It is confusing and possibly frightens a person away from beneficial therapy when there isn’t a full explanation of what these numbers mean. — B.C. ANSWER: Understanding worsening risks in a medical context can be challenging because advertisements often talk about relative risks, whereas most people ...

We should all aim to be like Pete

Clinton County has lost one of its best examples of community pride and volunteerism this week with the passing of former Clinton County Commissioner Robert “Pete” Smeltz. Elected commissioner in 2012, Pete would earn two terms on the board, each of them as chair after receiving the largest number of votes — showcasing his ability to offer nonpartisan approaches to issues facing the county. Pete Smeltz is a name many of our readers know and one I was first introduced to in 2017 when I attended my first commissioners’ meeting at the Garden Building. I was 19 and a very green ...

Family planning in an age of anxiety

“Why so few babies?” asked a New York Times essay that sounded oddly familiar to me. In my college days, it seemed that everybody was talking about “The Population Bomb,” the 1968 best-seller in which Stanford biologist Paul R. Ehrlich predicted worldwide famines and other dire consequences allegedly facing our baby boom generation. The Times essay, by contributing opinion writer Anna Louie Sussman, is drawn from her forthcoming book “Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty.” In contrast to Ehrlich, whose predictions fortunately did not play ...

The British election should serve as a warning to Democrats who let their left fringe run riot with scant criticism. Too many Democratic strategists and friends in the progressive media read the noise coming from the far left as evidence of broader public opinion than warranted, even among Democrats. Then come voting day, turned-off moderates make them lose. Britain’s voters just battered the Labour Party over what many perceived as social disorder amid uncontrolled immigration. Many were incensed by the influx of migrants from Muslim-majority countries, some prone to crime and ...

Dear Annie: A 44-year friendship at risk over $4

Dear Annie: I have had a close friend for 44 years. We have been through marriages, children, illnesses, holidays, losses and all the ordinary ups and downs that come with a friendship that lasts nearly half a century. That is why something very small has hurt me more than I expected. Recently, I was very ill for three weeks with vomiting, then bronchitis, and I ended up in the hospital over Easter. Because I was still recovering, I asked this longtime friend if she would pick up a box of tea for me. It cost $4. A few days later, we met at bingo, and she brought me the tea. I thought ...

Giving an overview of ultrasonography with IV imaging

DEAR DR. ROACH: My primary care physician scheduled me for a cardio stress test and ultrasonography with intravenous “microsphere” imaging. I’m slightly concerned about the term “microsphere.” Is this a safe procedure? Are there any complications stemming from this chemical/procedure? Should I be concerned about a stroke? How long do these microspheres stay in the body? Do they become a part of plaque? Are there other safer imaging methods? — K.O.S. ANSWER: Intravenous microbubble contrast agents are made from compressed gas that is contained in a phospholipid or protein, ...