Life

Americans without kids less confident about retirement

As Americans weigh whether to have children and the effect on their financial future, those without kids are significantly less confident about meeting their retirement goals, according to the 2026 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement, part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life). Americans without children are least likely to feel confident in their ability to meet their retirement savings goal (54%), compared to Americans with kids (72%). Among parents, those with one to two children (74%) are more likely to feel ...

Animals need fresh water daily

DEAR HELOISE: My vet told me to make certain that my dog has fresh water every day. The big water bowl is in the kitchen, which is inside my house, so why does he need fresh water daily? — Joyce F., in Arcadia, Florida Joyce, your dog’s saliva and germs contaminate the water that he drinks. If you leave this water for three or four days, bacteria multiplies hour after hour. Then there’s also your average amount of dust and loose hair that floats into the water. And if other animals are drinking from the same bowl, then their bacteria is present as well. Before you know it, the ...

Travel can help to facilitate healthy aging

The adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” may be true, but for seniors, enjoying that apple at a hotel or on a cruise may be even more healthy than having it at home. Travel can be an important component of healthy aging. Travel provides many benefits across multiple areas of ...

Tart cherry juice can help ease arthritis pain

Q. Your article on glucosamine increasing the chance of dementia progressing caught my attention. But it also made me feel smug. I stopped taking glucosamine with chondroitin when I discovered that taking dark cherry juice daily works better for my joint pain. It was an article here on People’s Pharmacy that inspired me to try it. Now I have no more knee pain and much better flexibility. It has also helped the arthritis in my fingers. A. How wonderful that you have found a natural way to alleviate your joint pain. A double-blind randomized trial conducted more than a decade ago ...

Thursday evening TV

To Your Good Health: Inquires about back pain devices

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 77-year-old woman with degenerative disc disease. I had an L4 microdiscectomy surgery in 2020, but I still have chronic pain in my lower back. Although I do core strengthening exercises with physical therapy (which helps), I’m still in daily pain. I’ve been seeing advertisements for multifidus muscle-strengthening devices, such as NeuroMD and ReliveX. What’s your opinion on this type of exercise device? — C.K. ANSWER: I think that better non-pharmacologic therapies are needed for back pain, and the theory of electrical stimulation to strengthen the ...