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Lifestyles

FDA approvess first-of-its-kind pill to help cut cholesterol

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-of-its-kind pill that can drastically reduce cholesterol in a way that's previously only been available with expensive, injectable drugs. The drug from Merck was OK'd on Thursday for patients with artery-clogging cholesterol that persists even after taking statins, the standard medications for cutting heart attack risk. Merck will market its pill under the brand name Lipfendra. It's the first noninjectable medication that works by blocking a liver protein called PCSK9. That protein limits the body's ability to clear ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Get stove that shuts itself off

DEAR HELOISE: I read the hint from your reader, Jim, about leaving stovetop knobs slightly off the vertical line to remind him to turn them off. If anyone’s in the market for a new stovetop, may I recommend induction stovetops? Not only can you boil a cup of water in 60 seconds, but if you remove a pan from the burner, it’ll automatically turn off if it doesn’t detect the pan again. — Emily M., in Kingwood, Texas DEAR HELOISE: This is in response to the 85-year-old individual who kept a magnifying glass in her kitchen for troublesome labels that are difficult to read. I ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Treating chronic kidney disease

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your column every day. I haven’t seen any information on chronic kidney disease (CKD). There are many articles on the internet about this subject, telling us how to combat it with easy, at-home remedies. Most articles discuss how to cleanse your nephron filters with things such as pumpkin seed oil, cinnamon, etc. I’m a borderline Type 2 diabetic, and I take Jardiance. My last eGFR was 52. My last creatinine level was 1.39 mg/dL. Could you possibly provide me with some useful information on this subject? Is there a simpler way to combat CKD? There are millions ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

One of the neatest plays in bridge is known as the “loser on loser,” whereby declarer finds a way of telescoping two potential losers into one. Six diamonds was a poor contract, though it should be noted that the A-K of clubs facing a void was an unfortunate duplication of values. West led a spade, and when East played the ten, the indications were very strong that West had led a singleton. Declarer won with the ace and was faced with the problem of how to get rid of one of his two spade losers. The only information available at this point was that West had overcalled with one ...

Dear Annie: A season of distance, not goodbye, from daughter

DEAR ANNIE: I am an 86-year-old mother of three children, a grandmother of six and great-grandmother of eight. We have always had a great relationship with our children. Our youngest daughter, who has always been close to us, went through a stressful divorce. Her husband had an affair, and she divorced him. She always came home every few months, or we went to see her. In the past few years, she has only come home twice a year, only for a day or so at a time. I am no longer driving, so going to visit her is not an option. She calls almost every day. She says there is nothing wrong. But ...