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TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Healthy diet helps healing of intestines

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: My son, who is 28, has always had issues with his gut. Almost everything passes through his intestines quickly. He frequently sees undigested vegetables in his stool. He had intestinal pain and underwent upper and lower GI scopes because the doctor suspected Crohn’s or inflammatory bowel disease. But he found nothing other than inflammation in his stomach, for which he ordered Protonix; this helped with the pain. His BMI is below 18 and has always been this way. He says that if he eats healthy, it makes his gut worse, and if he eats fast food or other non-healthy ...

DEAR ANNIE: One parent’s dream is another’s heartbreak

Lifestyles

DEAR ANNIE: My husband and I are in a painful disagreement about our children’s education. He went to boarding school as a teenager and says it was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He talks about the independence, friendships, the sports, the teachers and the confidence it gave him. I did not go to boarding school. I grew up coming home every day to my parents, eating dinner at our kitchen table and being part of the ordinary rhythm of family life. To me, sending our children away at 14 or 15 feels heartbreaking. I know boarding school can be wonderful for some ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Hair too dry? Vegetable oil saves the day

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: Years ago, when I was growing up on an Iowa farm, my hair would dry out because I was outside so much of the time. We also had what people called “hard water,” which would dry out each strand of hair. Instead of buying an overpriced hot oil treatment, my mother would warm up some vegetable oil and use a disposable cotton pad to rub the oil on my scalp. Then she would comb the oil through my hair and cover it with a plastic shower cap; the oil and cap were left on while I slept. In the morning, I shampooed my hair as always, making sure that I lathered and rinsed ...

Millennial’s ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is letter perfect

Local News

YOUNGSTOWN — Considering how emotionally draining it is as an audience member, it’s hard to imagine how difficult it must be for the cast of Millennial Theatre Company’s “Dear Evan Hansen” to do six performances. The Benj Pasek/Justin Paul/Steven Levenson musical won six Tony Awards, including best musical, in 2017, and it’s easily the best and the most serious of the teen-centric, social-media-focused musicals in recent years, and the talented cast assembled by director Joe Asente is more than capable of handling its challenges. MTC built a reputation locally for polished, ...

Get started with vermicomposting — worms, that is

Lifestyles

Have you ever thought of creating a nutrient-rich soil using…worms? Vermicomposting (vermin is the Latin word for worm) is the end product of the natural breakdown of vegetable or fruit waste by worms, leaving behind worm castings or worm manure. The species most used is the red wiggler worm (Eisenia foetida), a smaller (about 1 to 4 inches in length), thinner and, of course, much cuter worm than we commonly see in our gardens. Composting worms are available online from mail-order suppliers. It is best to purchase them during warm months, as these red wiggler worms do not cope well ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Drain water heater once yearly, local woman told

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: I just bought my first house, and I need to learn how to take care of it now. Do I still need to drain my water heater? The former owners said that the heater was 4 years old, and they never drained the sediment in all this time. — Ashly W., in New Castle, Pennsylvania Ashly, it’s a good idea to drain off the sediment and mineral deposits about once or twice a year. This helps protect the heating elements and efficiency of your water heater. By taking care of these things, you’ll also extend the life of your heater. — Heloise DEAR HELOISE: My lovely ...