Breaking News

Opinion

Protecting babies from whooping cough during pregnancy

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’ve read that there’s a big increase in whooping cough. I am pregnant and want to know the best way to protect my baby. Is it exclusive breastfeeding? Getting the vaccine? Making sure that visitors are vaccinated or wear masks? — D.G. ANSWER: Whooping cough is caused by a species of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. This causes a respiratory infection that can be very serious in infants, with over 80% of the youngest babies needing hospitalization. You are right that there have been massive increases in the risk of this infection during the past two years. An ...

Loneliness: People do need people

Columns

Ashley, North Dakota, is a small farming town where the local diet leans hard on sausage, deep-fried chicken and strudel. It has something of a medical center, but the nearest trauma hospital able to handle the most serious injuries is almost four hours away in Fargo. Yet the elders in McIntosh County, with Ashley as its county seat, frequently live into their 90s, and sometimes beyond. It had the highest proportion of people 85 and older in the country. Doesn’t make sense until you see why it does. Stress levels are low. The farmers pursue a lifetime of physical exercise. When ...

Dear Annie: Feeling forgotten by a flaky friend

Columns

Dear Annie: My best friend has become impossible to make plans with. She says yes to everything, then cancels at the last minute with a vague excuse. Sometimes she says she is “too tired,” other times she says work got crazy, and once she forgot completely until I texted from the restaurant asking if she was on her way. The worst was when I saw on social media that she had gone out with another group the same night she canceled on me because she “needed a quiet night.” I know people are busy, and I do not want to be needy. But after the third canceled dinner, the second missed ...

Lessons from Graham Platner

Columns

How can Graham Platner, who might win the Democratic nomination for senator from Maine in next Tuesday’s primary election ever be seriously considered for such a job, given the amount of personal baggage he carries? The answer is we have so lowered our standards and think so little of our politicians that, as the saying used to go, anyone can grow up to be president, or senator. Platner has been accused of so many things that just one would have been enough to derail his candidacy in another era when character mattered. Today, power is all that appears to matter and the way in ...

Constipation persists after a colonoscopy from six months ago

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 66-year-old male in good health. I’ve always had very regular bowel movements, usually spending less than five minutes in the bathroom daily. About six months ago, I had a colonoscopy. Since then, I’ve been constipated with very hard stools. My doctor recommended fiber supplements three times a day and Colace. I’ve been doing this for four months without relief. My diet hasn’t changed in the past year. I drink more than the recommended amount of water and exercise daily. What can I do to get back to normal? — B.L. ANSWER: Constipation for a few days ...

Coronary artery score continues to raise amid statin treatment

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m an 80-year-old male who doesn’t drink or smoke, exercises regularly, and takes telmisartan for blood pressure and rosuvastatin for cholesterol. I’ve never had any heart issues except for a diagnosis of arteriosclerosis. Five years ago, my calcium score resulted in a left anterior descending artery at 92.9 Agatston units, while the other arteries were all zero. Now this same test shows my LAD artery at 91.6, with the left main coronary artery at 57.6 and the right coronary artery at 31.6. Now, the total score is 180 compared to 92.9 five years ago. I’ve ...