Dear Dr. Roach: My doctor invariably prescribes four 200 mg Advils (ibuprofen), to be taken three times every 24 hours for a few days. I suspect this will create useful peaks, but also create unwanted troughs, compared to taking a smaller dose more frequently that results in the same aggregate dose every 24 hours.
Recently I was on a Zoom call with 20 other people for almost three hours. The meeting was valuable, offering instruction and resources to help us along our professional path. The host was highly qualified, authentic, easygoing, and engaging. I did not realize how much time had passed until my headset began to hurt my right ear. This is the ear that is sensitive due to being partially reconstructed because of skin cancer. I hardly notice it now as so much time has passed. And yet, when pressure is applied to that ear for too long, I remember the reason, and I feel the pain.
I was reminded recently of the time several years ago when a man came by the church office and asked if we could help him with some gas for his car. The church secretary who handled the benevolence ministry gave him a voucher that was good for $15 down at the local fuel stop.
Dear Abby: The last two years have been especially tough. I went through a breakup after a four-year relationship, my dog developed cancer and I had to put her to sleep, and I caught COVID and have been dealing with long-haul symptoms ever since. My energy is low because of it, plus I’ve been depressed with all the events that have happened.
Dear Dr. Roach: I’m a 74-year-old woman with good cholesterol numbers and normal blood pressure. I’ve exercised regularly since I was 17 (that’s 57 years), and weigh 98 pounds. I have no history of heart attack or stroke. Still, my doctor is giving me a strong sales pitch to take a statin with no mention of potential harsh side effects and no liver enzyme test. A letter from my doctor’s office states, “Even when your cholesterol levels are at goal, I recommend taking cholesterol medication to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.”
After sunset during Ramadan, the daily fast customarily ends by eating dates. Then the Iftar meal begins with some kind of soup, satisfying hunger and quenching thirst at the same time.
Dear Abby: I’m having a big problem with my boyfriend. We had a baby five months ago, and since then he has changed drastically.
Dear Dr. Roach: I have read that dietary potassium is very important in reducing heart disease risk, along with reducing sodium. I use a potassium-based salt replacement at home. Is there a maximum amount I should use? Why don’t restaurants offer salt substitutes for people who want to reduce sodium and heart risk?
LAS VEGAS (AP) — From an AI oven that promises to warn you when your food is about to burn to a mixing bowl designed to take the hassle out of tracking calories, food tech was a key theme at this year’s CES tech show in Las Vegas.
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning World Food Program says support from donors like the United States and Germany have allowed it to postpone — though not entirely avert — famine in Somalia but stressed that “we’re not out of this yet.”