Treating loss of taste, smell
DEAR DR. ROACH: My 82-year-old husband is unable to smell or taste. This has been the case since 2024, when he was hit by a car while out for a walk. He sustained a compression fracture to his spine. While he wasn’t knocked out, he did get thrown backward and sustained some trauma to his head. Since then, he’s had no sense of smell or taste. I see him drifting further and further into depression, and I believe it’s primarily because he no longer has the pleasure that is associated with taste. He has seen our general physician and an ear, nose and throat doctor. He’s been given ...
Bridge by Steve Becker
When you’re playing a seemingly hopeless contract, you can sometimes accomplish your mission by enlisting the aid of the enemy. For example, take this deal where South bid and made six spades. This overly ambitious undertaking was entirely South’s fault. His jump-shift to two spades on ...
My children’s stepmom may be overstepping
DEAR ANNIE: I have been divorced for three years and share custody of my two children, ages 10 and 13. My ex-husband remarried about a year ago, and his wife is kind, involved and genuinely seems to care about my children. I know that is something to be grateful for. The problem is that lately I feel as though she is trying to become their mother rather than simply being a loving stepmother. She buys them clothes without mentioning it to me, attends school events, sets rules and consequences and has started referring to them as “our kids.” Recently, she posted a family photo on ...
HINTS FROM HELOISE: Organize charging cords now
DEAR HELOISE: My 12-year-old son came up with a clever hint, and it proved to be very easy and helpful to us (and maybe other people, too). He saved all the toilet paper rolls and painted them white. Then he wrapped charging cords around individual rolls and labeled each one. At one end, he made a clean cut so that he could press one end of the cord through, to keep the cord from unraveling. What used to be a kitchen junk drawer is now organized and filled with these charging cords. When we need to recharge something, we know where the cord is, and when we’re done, we return the ...
Stay healthy this fall
YOUNGSTOWN — As families settle into fall routines, calendars can quickly fill with school, sports, work and other commitments. Mercy Health physicians are encouraging patients to make their health part of that seasonal reset by scheduling preventive screenings, annual wellness visits and ...