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Using a vagus nerve stimulation device for rheumatoid arthritis

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I want to know what you think about vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), both the surgically implanted type as well as the external noninvasive device for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other indications. What kind of doctor does this? Just reading about it gives me hope that less drugs are being used to treat these conditions. — L.L. ANSWER: VNS uses electrical impulses to trigger some of the many actions of the vagus nerve. VNS is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for some types of drug-resistant epilepsy, headache disorders, and drug-resistant depression. For ...

Keep artificial intelligence out of American classrooms

Columns

Norway is, by almost any metric, a profoundly successful nation. It’s rich, democratic and relatively corruption-free. It’s not a socialist country, but fans of a robust welfare state and high taxes see much to admire in the very progressive Norwegian model. It also benefits from having the biggest and arguably best-run sovereign wealth fund in the world. And yet, Norway nearly ruined its children. In 2016, flush with cash and progressive values, Norway gave every child in the country, starting at the age of 5, their own iPad or similar digital device. A decade later, young ...

Laughing off accountability

Columns

Dear Annie: My brother-in-law is constantly making offensive and over-the-top jokes. Whenever I call him out, he tells me I’m “too sensitive.” To me, that’s the same as saying, “I don’t care about your feelings and I’m going to blame this conflict entirely on you!” I always point this out, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. This is gaslighting of the worst kind. How can I respond in the future to make him take some actual accountability? — Oversensitive Dear Oversensitive: Your brother-in-law’s trick is to shift the spotlight from his joke to your reaction. ...

Thompson vs Planned Parenthood

Letters to the editor

Maggie Waggoner Lewisburg Congressman Glenn Thompson sent another misleading e-mail to his constituents on April 10, attacking Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). His newsletter states that PPFA “received more taxpayer dollars than ever before, and continues to prioritize abortion over true health care services.” First, abortion care is part of full health care. Furthermore, the 2024-2025 PPFA Annual Report states: “Though Planned Parenthood Federation of America did everything we could to prevent it, in July 2025, the Trump administration and Congress forced ...

What has passed is not always what was best

Columns

Your memories will try to trick you. I thought about that as I was driving down a street near my house the other day, when I spotted a father walking down the sidewalk, his young daughter slung over his shoulder like a sack of coal he was hauling out of a mine. Her hair bounced along on his back and she looked thrilled. They had been out on a stroll, and she’d asked for a ride: That was the story the image told me. Adorable, I thought, for a second. But wait. What was that look of resignation on the dad’s face? Did I recognize that parental exhaustion myself, that feeling of ...

Dear Annie: When language rubs the wrong way

Columns

Dear Annie: I live in a 55-plus community and have met many people and made lots of friends since moving in here. I am not a prude, but I find it very disturbing how the F-bomb and swearing is so prevalent in this community. I’m in my 60s, a baby boomer, a Christian and not a sheltered person, but I’m extremely annoyed by this behavior, especially among some of my closest friends. I know I can’t control others, only myself. Do I just ignore this and continue to be appalled (especially when God’s name is used in vain), or do I say something? — A Baby Boomer Dear Baby Boomer: ...