WASHINGTON — You’ve likely heard it since childhood: Don’t scratch that bug bite or rash, you’ll make it worse. But why would something that feels so good be bad? A lot of things can cause itchiness, sometimes serious diseases. Whatever the cause, doctors have long warned that ...
Drink a fragrant cup of herbal tea, and the intoxicating scent of steeped herbs might calm your mind before you even take a sip. Even better is when they come from your own backyard herb garden. Mine includes several ingredients for my daily cup, and they’re all easy to grow and prepare. Herbal teas are distinct from true teas — such as black or green — which come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. (You can grow that in your garden, too.) Brew herbal teas with either freshly harvested or dried herbs. Either way, settling in with a cup of homegrown herbal tea — ...
To include or update items in the weekly Health News list, email information to tmunnell@tribtoday.com or dbigelow@tribtoday.com. The deadline for inclusion for next week’s list is noon Sunday. St. Joe’s at the Mall Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Eastwood Mall. • EXERCISE CLASSES AVAILABLE — Call 330-652-7542 to inquire and register. • FREE BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS: 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, and 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and Thursdays. • DIETITIAN AVAILABLE: by appointment every first and third Friday; no cost — call ...
DEAR ANNIE: My husband and I are in our 70s, and although our adult children live nearby, they rarely visit us. It is always considered “more convenient” for us to go to them. For years, I decorated our home from top to bottom for Christmas. I loved the tree, the lights and the feeling that I was creating something special for our family. But now I find myself wondering why I bother. On Christmas Eve, we may see one of our children’s families for three hours. Half the time, the adults fall asleep on the couch. Then they are well rested and ready to celebrate with the other ...
DEAR HELOISE: To open a bottle of nail polish that’s stuck, place a cup of water in the microwave for 1 minute. Then remove the cup from the microwave and place the bottle inside of the cup. Wait about a minute and remove. Presto! —Marty R., via email DEAR HELOISE: We wear shirts made of T-shirt material every day in our family. Yet, after a short while, they end up with tiny holes in the stomach area. Male or female, belt or no belt, it doesn’t matter; these tiny holes suddenly appear. Any idea where they come from? — Monica T., via email Monica, the tiny holes are ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you address Munchausen syndrome and how to treat a person who might have it? What causes the constant talk about real or imagined illnesses, and is there a treatment for it? —- Anonymous ANSWER: Factitious disorder, sometimes called Munchausen syndrome after the 18th century German nobleman Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchhausen, who was famous for exaggerated stories that were published in English in 1785 and defied belief. The term “Munchausen syndrome” was coined in 1951 to describe people who intentionally fake or induce medical symptoms. There ...
