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To Your Good Health: Reader says parents ‘crazy’ on gabapentin

DEAR DR. ROACH: You have commented on gabapentin before. This seems to be a miracle drug that they’re giving out to everyone for everything. However, I’m absolutely convinced that this drug made both of my parents crazy. Both were given gabapentin in the hospital, and I absolutely felt that it altered their mental state. For the record, both were in their 80s and were hospitalized after falls. — K.W. ANSWER: Gabapentin (Neurontin and others) is frequently used for several conditions. It’s only indicated by the Food and Drug Administration for a particular type of seizures ...

China’s imperial cuisine lives on today

BEIJING — It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi once dreamed of a pastry during the final decades of imperial China. The same treat was served to her at breakfast the following morning. Delighted, she summoned her chef and rewarded him with a silver ingot. “It was originally called ...

Memories of Tim and Elizabeth’s wedding from 11 years ago

Aug. 14, 2026, is 11 years since we prepared for our first wedding. Happy anniversary to Tim and Liz! We wish you many more happy, healthy years together! For this column I’m going to share from the columns I wrote back then. August 2015 On the day of the wedding, we serve a meal after the services and marriage, which are usually all done by noon. Then we serve a 5 p.m. supper for guests and a 7 p.m. supper for the youth and family. The bride and groom usually open their wedding gifts in the afternoon. We are renting a wedding wagon, which comes with seven stoves and two sinks, ...

DEAR ANNIE: Caregiving for mom without giving up my life

DEAR ANNIE: My father passed away earlier this year, and afterward my mother and sister moved to be closer to me. Since then, I have tried to help my mother as much as I can. I take her to doctors’ appointments, help with everyday needs and do my best to make sure she is cared for. Recently, my husband had to go out of state for work, and my children and I went with him. My mother came along for a while, but she has decided she wants to return home. My sister, who has special needs, will be going back with her. My mother is in her 70s and, thankfully, is in fairly good health. My ...