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Many charities are worthy of your support

By HELOISE Syndicated columnist Dear Heloise: I have enjoyed your (and your mother’s) column for decades and currently read it in the Colorado Springs Gazette. I was recently upset by the person who recommended not giving to charities because the money all went to administration costs. This is simply not true. There are thousands of charities in the United States, and many depend on volunteers only. However, there are scammers, and it is easy to check out a charity at CharityNavigator.org. They study each charity’s work and their financial statements, and they rate them ...

Cost of IBS medicine expensive even with insurance

Kicker hed: “To Your Good Health” (1/5) By KEITH ROACH, M.D. Syndicated columnist Dear Dr. Roach: After a month of testing from my gastrointestinal doctor, I have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. I have been sick for several months and have lost 12 pounds. I’m now ...

Time to start setting boundaries with dependent friend

By ANNIE LANE Syndicated columnist Dear Annie: I previously worked with a woman, “Loretta,” who I’ve maintained a relationship with for over 20 years. We were never close, meeting-for-lunch type friends — more of a talk-once-a-month type. However, this changed when Loretta ...

By KEITH ROACH, M.D. Syndicated columnist Dear Dr. Roach: My wife was having problems getting to sleep and has stocked our medicine cabinet with various “p.m.” versions of popular pain relievers that have been advertised as sleep aids. Recently, I’ve had problems getting to sleep ...

Be considerate with devices that produce noise 24 hours a day

By HELOISE Syndicated columnist Dear Heloise: I have one neighbor around the corner who just put up a flagpole in their front yard. I have another neighbor who has hung windchimes from a tree in their front yard. I can easily hear the clang-clang from the flagpole and the ding-ding from the chimes in my house, even though my windows are closed. I work from home, and this is very distracting. To make matters worse, I live in Buffalo, New York. In the winter, it is windy almost every day, which makes the noises louder. If I can hear the noises, even though I am not close to ...

Dear Annie: Finding connection in later life

Dear Annie: Now that my husband and I are in our 70s, it feels as if our social world has shrunk to the size of a postage stamp. Friends have moved away to be near their children, others are dealing with health issues, and a few have simply drifted off. We used to host dinners, take short ...