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A pinched ulnar nerve causes intense pain and tingling

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m an active 76-year-old retired accountant who likely spent too many hours at a computer. Now I’m paying for it with a painful condition. My general physician says that I have a pinched or compressed ulnar nerve, which likely starts in the neck shoulder area but shoots pain down my right arm and elbow, all the way to my pinkie and ring fingers. These fingers tingle and, at times, prickle so intensely that it feels like my hand’s on fire. I use ice on my shoulder, neck and elbow. I take 25 mg of pregabalin on a prolonged step-up process that I augment with ...

Spring Township Supervisor resigns

Letters to the editor

Korena DeFurio Spring Township It is with heartfelt emotions that I am writing to let you know that I chose to resign as Township Supervisor effective 8/4/2026 due to my strong ethics, morals, values, and high level of involvement and commitment in doing what I felt was the right thing for the employees and residents of the Township not being on the same page as others in reaching these goals. Constant internal resistance and opposition to change makes it very difficult to create a fair, equal and ethical atmosphere for the employees and residents of the Township. I feel having ...

Dear Annie: Going for gold in grief

Columns

Dear Annie: I have two sisters, and one of them, “Joanie,” tragically passed away from cancer last year. It’s obviously been hard, but what’s making it harder is my remaining sister. She has always been competitive. And she has somehow turned even grief into a competition. For example, a few weeks ago I mentioned I hadn’t slept the night before out of sadness, and she shot back, “I haven’t slept at all since Joanie died.” I know she’s sad, but I also know this isn’t true. It was the same at the funeral. She insisted on speaking longest and loudest, then collapsed ...

Don’t let the war on woke lull us all to sleep

Columns

History is written to be argued about, I have often said. Recent efforts by the Trump administration’s culture war have offered numerous examples. In recent days, we have seen Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a break from the administration’s war against Iran, announce the re-installation of a Confederate memorial that had been removed from Arlington National Cemetery in 2023. History buffs may recall that the sculpture had been removed as part of a congressionally mandated effort to rid military bases and sites of Confederate names and images. If you are one of those ...

Delay retiring aircraft carriers

Letters to the editor

Donald Moskowitz Londonderry Our 11 aircraft carrier strike groups are stretched very thin around the world: in shipyards undergoing repairs, maintenance, overhauls and upgrades; in transit; and in port after prolonged deployments. A major undertaking has to be the revival of our shipyards to handle the construction and repair of our aircraft carriers. The crews on the ships are enduring physical and mental strain from prolonged deployments which could impact their morale and readiness. My guess is the retention rate on our carriers is low due to these conditions. It has been ...

Elderly friend gets diagnosed with a Zenker’s diverticulum

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: What’s a Zenker’s diverticulum? My 74-year-old friend was diagnosed with it, along with “cricopharyngeal achalasia.” I’ve never noticed any swallowing difficulties before. — S.W. ANSWER: A Zenker’s diverticulum is an outpouching of the esophagus that extends posteriorly toward the spine, at about the level of the thyroid. The muscles there are relatively weak, and a swallowing abnormality can lead the inside of the esophagus to go through the muscular layer around the esophagus, leading to a blind pouch. The cricopharyngeus muscle is the primary muscle ...