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Elderly man’s unable to form words after extreme sun exposure

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m an 82-year-old man with osteoporosis, a pacemaker, and a vegetable garden, which I worked in yesterday for 5 hours in the extreme heat. I consumed a large bottle of ice water. When I came back into the cool house, I was unable to select or even pronounce the proper words. I felt like my brain’s gears were all in neutral. My wife had me drink a sports electrolyte drink, and I got back to normal in about 15 minutes. Did I damage myself in some way yesterday? — Prof. G ANSWER: The major concern in an elderly person with confusion after prolonged sun exposure ...

Democratic Socialists shove the resistance aside in Florida

Columns

The most surprising result in the batch of primaries held this past week over the vast stretch of America from Florida through Wyoming to Alaska was the defeat of famed anti-Trump whistleblower Alexander Vindman by state Rep. Angie Nixon in the contest for the Democratic nomination against appointed Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody in Florida. Of these candidates, Vindman was by far the best known nationally. His role in spurring the House’s 2019 impeachment of President Donald Trump made him a hero to Democratic money-givers large and small. That helped his twin brother Eugene ...

Tardive dyskinesia in woman might actually be a familial tremor

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 66-year-old retired female who’s trying to keep active. My neurologist thinks that I may have tardive dyskinesia (TD), for which I tried Ingrezza, but I experienced heaviness in my chest. I’ve tried meds, vestibular therapy, balance therapy and acupuncture. I’ve also been evaluated by an ENT physician and a cardiologist. I’ve become used to the “bobbing” of my upper torso/head after the past two years. I only get relief when my head and shoulders are against something. I have been on Xanax for the past 15 years and may have developed this ...

An app a day keeps the parents away

Columns

Well, it’s back-to-school season again, and parents across the country know what that means: It’s time to download some new apps. Yes, you already have 10 apps; that’s true. There’s one for the park district, one for summer camp, one for your oldest kid’s teacher to post weekly updates, one for your youngest kid’s teacher to post weekly updates, one for the PTA to inform you of another request for a “suggested donation,” one for fuzzy pictures of children’s backs as they color, one for grades with a dropdown menu written in Cuneiform, one for a fifth grade parent ...

Dear Annie: Love is in the little moments

Columns

Dear Annie: In response to all the working mothers who are weighed down by guilt, I’d like to share my experience. I am 75 years old, and when I was growing up, my mother worked from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. I usually came home from school around 3:30 or 4, and my memories of that time are nothing but warm. Before leaving for work, my mother made dinner for my father to heat up later. She ate her own dinner at 4, and I would sit at the table with her and tell her about my day. She always gave me one bite from her plate while we talked, and somehow that small ritual has stayed with me all ...

Life isn’t a race. My husband’s college degree reminded me why

Columns

My husband graduated with his bachelor’s degree this summer at the age of 56. We ordered a cake and celebrated with friends and family. He had earned his associate’s degree in accounting literally decades ago and had plans to continue his education, but life detoured him, as it likes to do. Then, a few years ago, his employer told him there would be no more promotions without earning his bachelor’s degree. It felt like an empty box on his resume that just needed to be checked. Not having that diploma became a persistent barrier. College is expensive and time-consuming. So ...