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TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Helping those who fake illness is difficult

Lifestyles

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 ...

Valley Grows Calendar

Lifestyles

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Extension Office. For more information and a complete list, contact: • OSU Mahoning County Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield. 330-533-5538. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. • OSU Trumbull County Extension Office, 520 W. Main St. Suite 1, Cortland. 330-638-6783. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Plant and Pest Clinic You can submit your questions by calling the Mahoning County office at 330-533-5538 or emailing us at ...

How to deal with Japanese beetles

Lifestyles

They’re almost here! We generally see destructive Japanese beetles around the Fourth of July. A better way to know the time of their arrival is by using the OSU Growing Degree Days Site at https://go.osu.edu/growingdegreeday. This site helps you know when they are about to emerge. Why ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

Lifestyles

Some deals from the annual world championship receive only passing notice because the outcome at both tables is exactly the same. But this one from the Italy-U.S. match in 1973 deserved more publicity than it got. Nothing much happened at the first table, where the U.S. pair bid and made four spades. West led the K-Q-2 of diamonds. South ruffed, drew trump, lost a club finesse to East’s queen and eventually discarded his heart loser on dummy’s fourth club to score 620 points. At the second table, where Giorgio Belladonna was declarer for Italy, West led the K-Q of diamonds and ...

Keeping bugs at bay

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: I keep a clean house, but I still have an ant and roach problem. What will help me stop attracting these filthy pests? I’ve used commercial companies that come in and sort of bomb the house with a mist of chemicals. I hated the smell that lingered for weeks, and the expense was nightmarish. Can you offer some advice to keep these bugs out of my house? You always know what to do, and I appreciate all your hints. — Leilani M., in Oahu, Hawaii Leilani, having lived in Hawaii, I know how difficult it is to completely seal off a home from ants and roaches. Here are some ...

Lactose intolerance likely cause of cramps, spasms

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 74-year-old woman who’s quite healthy (I am active and don’t take any medications), but I have a history of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). Recently, I experienced bad-smelling gas, leg cramps, and finger and toe spasms. I quit eating milk products, and my symptoms almost immediately disappeared. My question is: Do food intolerances increase with age? Also, can leg cramps and digit spasms be attributed to a food intolerance? — H.W. ANSWER: The most likely diagnosis is lactose intolerance. This is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme lactase, which is ...