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Support stockings should be removed before tucking in for bed

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m 70 years old, and my whole family is prone to edema, varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis due to venous insufficiency. I’ve been wearing support pantyhose for 45 years whenever I get dressed, and I recently increased the compression. While I’m sitting, I elevate my legs. I am otherwise healthy and not overweight, and I have no cardiac issues, just the edema. Usually I’m OK except when I’m traveling (especially in airplanes) or when I’m dining in restaurants as I must avoid salt intake, so it’s easier to stay home. My question is whether it’s OK to ...

Shutting down federal bee labs threatens bees, beekeepers and the US food system

Columns

America’s bees and beekeepers are losing a valuable ally just when they need its help most. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to soon close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, a 6,500-acre agricultural research station in Maryland that is home to the nation’s premier bee research and disease diagnosis hub, the Beltsville Bee Research Lab. The closure comes at a critical moment for bees. In winter 2025, many beekeepers lost over half their operations as pesticide-resistant varroa mites spread, bringing deadly viruses. The losses have led to low honey production, ...

Dear Annie: Love at full volume

Columns

Dear Annie: My husband and I both work from home and each have our own offices. The problem is our walls are thin and his voice is LOUD. It travels through walls and doors and can even be heard by colleagues I’m speaking with when we both have meetings at the same time. It honestly sounds like he’s screaming in there. I’ve resorted to noise canceling headphones while doing focus work, but even then I can sometimes hear him. I love him dearly, but I feel like I’m co-working in a sports bar. Is there any hope? — Drowned Out Dear Drowned Out: There are ways to solve your ...

Why Democrats need an ‘Operation Kibble’

Columns

There’s an ancient, almost surely apocryphal, story about a dog food company executive convening a big sales meeting. A very short version has the exec running through all of the company’s advantages: the best sales team, the best advertising, the best packaging, etc. He then irately asks, “So why aren’t we selling more dog food?” After a long silence, a small voice from the back ventures a guess. “Maybe the dogs don’t like it.” The story is a cliche, but a useful one, in business and politics. For instance, the pre-launch internal name for “Netflix” was ...

Know the difference between certain types of cholangitis

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on primary sclerosing cholangitis. What is the difference between this condition and primary biliary cholangitis? Where can I find information on how to get on a waiting list for a liver transplant? — C.V. ANSWER: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are similar in some ways. They are both chronic and progressive liver diseases, whose initial symptoms can be vague (such as fatigue or skin itching) and can be found incidentally on laboratory testing. They are both largely thought to be autoimmune diseases ...

It takes a village to protect libraries, literacy

Columns

When I was president of the Downtown Lock Haven Rotary, my signature project was to create a system of Little Red Libraries for the Lock Haven community. Literacy has been a huge part of my entire life. I was a kid who regularly visited the bookmobile and local library as well as the school library where I grew up. I was always reading a book any time I had a spare moment in my busy spiritual, academic and athletic life. The Downtown Lock Haven Rotary Club provided the money and then found a builder for the little libraries. Tom Brown and Sons accepted the assignment and built two of ...