Lifestyles

Dear Annie: Scaling back birthday gifts without guilt

DEAR ANNIE: For years, I’ve made it a point to remember every birthday in my extended family — my nieces, nephews and now their children — by sending cards with a little money tucked inside. It’s been my way of staying connected since I don’t see them often. Now I’m retired and living on a fixed income, and the cost has quietly added up. The truth is, everyone in my family is financially comfortable, and I’m beginning to feel the strain of keeping up this tradition. I’d like to scale back and send monetary gifts only to those 19 and under, while still sending cards ...

Weight-loss drug eliminated food noise

A recent report from the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting warned that taking GLP-1 agonists might lead to loss of muscle. These are drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). The investigators reported that rapid weight loss with such medications might also lead to substantial muscle loss. This could be especially worrisome in older people if it leads to less strength and poor balance. There was a call for people on these medications to embark on extra exercise to build up strength. Then ...

Hints from Heloise: Getting tops off nail polish

DEAR HELOISE: I’ve had a lot of trouble opening bottles of nail polish. Some bottles have tops with a smooth surface or a shape that’s not easily grasped. And don’t forget bottles that have partially dried shut! My quick fix is to wrap a rubber band around the bottle cap. It’s so much easier to grasp the bottle to open it; even the stubborn dried-on tops frequently come loose. I just keep rubber bands on the bottle tops while they’re in storage so that they’re always ready to be used. — Sandy, in Kalamazoo, Michigan Sandy, this is a good hint. I usually put on one of ...

To Your Good Health: CAC scan can indicate heart risk

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m 67 and in decent shape. I run 3-4 miles three times a week and lift weights three days a week. I take 20 mg of rosuvastatin daily. My LDL cholestrol is 85 mg/dL, and my HDL is over 80 mg/dL. I have controlled blood pressure at 125-130/80 mmHg with an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). Seven years ago, my provider asked me to do a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan because it could be performed at no cost to me. I did, and my score was 530. The recommendations were to get on a statin, which I was already on (rosuvastatin), as well as low-dose ...

Friday evening TV

Bridge by Steve Becker

1. Four spades. Once partner responds with one spade, game must be reached. Only an avowed pessimist would think that the combined hands might not provide a satisfactory play for 10 tricks. Whether the basis for this evaluation is point count -- you have 18 high-card points plus two ...