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Man underestimates chewing tobacco’s influence on his health

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband has neuropathy in his feet. He is otherwise healthy, exercises daily, maintains his weight, and eats healthy. My concern is that he uses chewing tobacco. He insists that it doesn’t have a negative influence on his condition, but I disagree. What’s your medical opinion? He is fully aware of other health complications that chewing tobacco can cause, but he doesn’t make an effort to quit. I’m frustrated and worried about his future. He is 63. — A.C.W. ANSWER: There are many causes of neuropathy. Diabetes is a major one, but I get many letters from ...

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson disagreed about the American Revolution’s meaning even as they lay dying

Columns

Like Americans today, the people living in the United States in 1826 were preparing to celebrate a milestone for their country. July Fourth of that year marked the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. As what was known as the “Jubilee” of American independence approached, Americans realized that the founding generation was dying off. They wanted to take advantage of the founders’ insight while they still could. This meant soliciting memories and advice from the signers of the Declaration, only three of whom were still alive. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were ...

Our screen culture increasingly can’t read

Columns

We’ve been having a debate about “book bans” in recent years, but given the steep decline in student literacy, the deeper question is how anyone would notice whether a book is available in a school library or not. The New York Times published an eye-opening report on a study by the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford documenting steep declines in student test scores, especially in reading. Over the past 10 years, reading scores have declined in 83% of school districts. What looked like a Covid-driven catastrophe is, instead, part of a long-running trend. Reading ...

Dear Annie: Vaping vice might be a dealbreaker

Columns

Dear Annie: My dad died of lung cancer a few years ago, and because of that, I abhor smoking in all its forms. The problem is I just discovered my boyfriend, who is a nurse, has been secretly vaping behind my back. I was shocked and upset not so much that he did it (which is bad enough) but that he went through great pains to hide it from me. Plus, he works in the medical field and should know better! He promised to discontinue when I confronted him and that he did it only because of the immense pressure he is under. Recently, I found newly bought vaping pens in his apartment. The ...

Opiate prescriptions for pain don’t provide relief to patient

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have horrible neck, shoulder, back and hip pain, which are all from different traumas. I’ve been seeing a pain doctor for the past 14 years. I started out taking 5 mg of Vicodin and 4 mg of trazodone. Over the years, my prescriptions have been raised to 7.5 mg of oxycodone four times a day and 800 mg of ibuprofen three times a day. I see my doctor every two weeks, and during these visits, I normally get shots (different ones in different places). My problem is that my pain medicine isn’t working anymore. Will I have to keep raising the dosage? I can’t take it ...

Feeding the government pig

Columns

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and I don’t mean Christmas. It’s the time when Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) releases its annual “Congressional Pig Book Summary,” exposing some of the most outrageous, ridiculous and in many cases unconstitutional spending one can imagine. I guarantee you won’t be able to imagine most of it. Why should you when it’s not their money they are spending and borrowing, which has driven the debt to unprecedented and dangerous levels. According to CAGW, the number of earmarks, which is spending that avoids going through ...