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HINTS FROM HELOISE: Coffee can help you live longer

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: My husband hates coffee and asked me to switch to tea, but I don’t like tea. He says that coffee damages our health. Is this true? — Shelly J., in Little Rock, Arkansas Shelly, studies have been done on thousands of people to discover the effects of coffee on the human body, and for the most part, a consumption of about 3-4 cups a day (roughly 400 mg of caffeine) doesn’t harm people. In fact, coffee lowers the risk of premature death, Type 2 diabetes, and heart failure. The beans also have antioxidant properties. Coffee only becomes dangerous if it’s drunk ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: High level of calcium has many causes

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: A few years ago, at the age of 65, I was hospitalized and in critical condition with a calcium score of 14 mg/dL. After many tests, the diagnosis was hypercalcemia. After a 10-day hospital stay, I was discharged, and every test in the book was done to find the cause. All tests came back negative as to the cause, and still to this day, it isn’t known what could have caused this. Any ideas? — G.V. ANSWER: Hypercalcemia” just means a high calcium level, and there are many causes — some of which are quite serious, including several cancers. A level of 14 mg/dL ...

Blue-winged wasp one of the best

Lifestyles

I was asked to write an article on the blue-winged wasp, and it was opportune as I have seen a few in my yard. This inch-sized wasp (Scolia dubia) is an amazing, wonderful, benign member of the group called solitary wasps. These wasps do not build communal nests or work together in ...

Valley Grows Calendar

Lifestyles

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Extension Office. For more information and a complete list, contact: • OSU Mahoning County Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield. 330-533-5538. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. • OSU Trumbull County Extension Office, 520 W. Main St. Suite 1, Cortland. 330-638-6783. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Plant and Pest Clinic You can submit your questions by calling the Mahoning County office at 330-533-5538 or emailing us at ...

Complacency and the banana bread experiment

Lisa Resnick

Have you ever thought about trying something? Not something fun like kayaking or skydiving — although I would argue what I’m about to tell you is just as exciting and exhilarating. At least to me. This story is also why it can be a little dangerous to be around me when you speak your dreams out loud. You see, I have a bad habit of finding ways to make things happen. I’ve matured enough over the years not to do it for other people. Someone once told me, “You can deliver the mail, but it’s not your job to open it.” That lesson took me a while to learn but I stick to it like ...