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TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Metformin holds promise for skin rashes

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a skin rash (granuloma annulare), and my dermatologist said that there really isn’t a cure for it. It’s in various areas of my body — my upper back, my trunk and a few other places. The dermatologist recommended using metformin to see if this helps. All my labs are excellent, so metformin has never been something that any of my docs suggested. She even looked at my labs and said that they were great but wants to see if metformin might help. Have you ever heard of this? Should I find a different dermatologist? I’m a 67-year-old female who’s in excellent ...

Powers hosts Chicago in November

Ticket

Staff report Chicago returns to Youngstown for a Nov. 15 concert at Powers Auditorium. The band that started as the Chicago Transit Authority in 1967 has sold more than 100 million records in a career that includes 21 top 10 singles, songs such as "25 or 6 to 4," "Saturday in the Park," "Feelin' Stronger Every Day," "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." Chicago was one of the first acts to play the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre when it opened in 2019. It also sold out Packard Music Hall in 2016, and last week the band was nearby at Blossom Music Center ...

Starches should be modest part of mixed meal

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 77-year-old man who’s prediabetic. I was told by a longtime diabetic that sugar (candy, soda, cake, etc.) doesn’t need to be avoided — just carbohydrates such as pasta, potatoes, etc. I was surprised to hear this. Is it really true? — Anon. ANSWER: We often use terms like carbohydrates, starches and sugars imprecisely. Strictly speaking, sugars are small molecules (usually 5 or 6 carbon molecules long), like glucose or fructose, which are called monosaccharides. These can also be combined into a single molecule (a disaccharide), which, in the case of ...

Identifying animals through droppings

Lifestyles

Every animal, when crossing through a forested area or meadow, leaves a sign behind, whether intentionally or not. Deer leave eaten vegetation, broken branches and, if it has just rained, footprints can be found, all indications of recent animal behavior. Another interesting and useful ...

Siblings take opposite stances on sleepaway camp

Lifestyles

DEAR ANNIE: My husband and I are at odds over whether to send our two children to sleepaway camp next summer. He went every year from the time he was 8 and talks about it as one of the happiest parts of his childhood. I never went to sleepaway camp, and the thought of sending our children away for several weeks makes me very uneasy. Our older child is excited by the idea, but our younger one is sensitive, has trouble falling asleep in unfamiliar places and still gets homesick during overnight visits with relatives. I worry that we would be pushing them into something before they are ...