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How certain ‘sleep’ medications affect sleep quality and stages

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have occasional difficulty when going to sleep and/or getting back to sleep. I have tried Ambien, trazodone, clonazepam and Lunesta. All have their pros and cons. My question regards sleep quality. I know there are several stages of sleep that we should go through and that the brain cleans out junk during sleep. Do these sleep aids still allow a person to go through the needed sleep stages and also allow the brain to clean itself? Are any of these meds better or worse than the others for occasional use? — S.H. ANSWER: How much time we spend in the different stages ...

‘Tumor seeding’ very rarely occurs during biopsies

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on prostate biopsies. I’m no doctor, but I’d advise against them. My boyfriend got a biopsy in 2012, which I believe caused his cancer to spread beyond his prostate into his bones. He died three years later in 2015. Think about this: A needle is inserted to extract cells so that they can be tested. When the needle is pulled out with its open end, and cancer is present, cells in the needle can then come out of the open end, causing cancer to spread throughout the prostate. It may be rare, but this is documented (tumor seeding). — ...

Elon Musk’s new ‘trillionaire’ status is a good thing, actually

Columns

I am not a huge fan of Elon Musk as a political activist or commentator. I think he’s made Twitter — sorry, X — worse. His support for the nationalist right in Europe has been ugly. His tenure leading the Department of Government Efficiency mostly amounted to a missed opportunity and often descended into little more than performative vandalism. His personal life is not exactly consonant with my preference for bourgeois family values. Though, one can hardly accuse him of being a deadbeat dad. On the other hand, I am a huge fan of his accomplishments in business and engineering. He ...

Dear Annie: Grandma’s jewelry may be lost, but her love isn’t

Columns

Dear Annie: My 15-year-old daughter was given a piece of sentimental jewelry on the day of her grandmother’s funeral. It had belonged to her grandmother, and the gesture was meant to be a beautiful way for my daughter to carry a piece of her with her. At the time, my daughter seemed touched. She wore it a few times, and I remember feeling comforted seeing it on her, as if this small object helped connect the generations during a very sad time. Now, only a few months later, I fear the jewelry has been lost. We have searched drawers, jewelry boxes, backpacks, coat pockets, bathroom ...

The ‘debate’ over global poverty continues

Columns

The new “Global Justice Report” by the World Inequality Lab in France — which calls for caps on economic growth in rich countries, top income-tax rates of 90% and a World Sovereign Fund to redistribute wealth to the Global South — has reignited one of the oldest debates in economics: How do we actually lift people out of poverty? The data have never left much question. The answer is economic growth. Nonetheless, many development economists have spent decades arguing that growth isn’t enough or as important as development aid. The French report is simply a radical expression ...

Antique wicker furniture can hold substantial value

Columns

As the weather grows warmer, many of us like to set up furniture outside to enjoy the sunlight and spring breezes. Some of the best outdoor furniture, especially among antiques, is made of wicker. Wicker furniture has been made for thousands of years. Like many classic types of furniture, it ...