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To Your Good Health

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate two months ago. I thought it was another kidney stone I needed to pass, but I had a totally blocked urethra. I was sent home from the emergency room with a two-week catheter. My urologist prescribed 5 mg of finasteride and alfuzosin. I spend winters in Florida, but my urologist in Florida says not to use finasteride, since it doesn’t work. I am stuck in the middle now with my prescription. What is your professional opinion on taking finasteride? — D.T. ANSWER: Your urologist in Florida is being overly dogmatic. The studies ...

Dear Annie

Dear Annie: My wife of 44 years passed away after a nine-day bout with cancer. We started dating at 16, went to college together, married at 20 and graduated at 21, when we started our life together for real. “Sally” passed away two months after her 65th birthday. I will turn 65 in a month. I was to retire in three months, while Sally was already retired. Our house is paid for and sits by a beautiful creek in small-town Georgia, and moving has been suggested. I like it here. All our plans for traveling and having a life together in retirement disappeared in a matter of ...

To Your Good Health

DEAR DR. ROACH: It seems that many of the medications I see advertised on television carry a warning about “thoughts of suicide.” Can you explain why so many diverse drugs share this same side effect? — W.S. ANSWER: Unfortunately, suicide is a too-common cause of death that many people are uncomfortable talking about. However, it is clear that there are effective ways of reducing suicide risk, especially by identifying those who are at high risk through screening and treatment with effective modalities. Because deaths by suicide are so important, any safety signal is taken ...

Kovels: Antiques and collecting

It’s difficult to escape holiday shopping, whether you’re buying gifts, stocking up for dinner parties or just taking advantage of a sale. And stores make sure to entice you with flashy, tempting displays. Even if you’re not a fan of the commercialization of the holidays, store displays can be works of art. But collectors of antique adver- tising have known this for a long time. Window displays often have the most interesting images, the cleverest ideas and the latest technical effects. Look at this automaton, which sold for $1,560 at Potter & Potter Auctions. It origi-nally ...

Dear Annie

Dear Readers: Thank you for all your responses to “Letting Go Is Hard to Do.” We have undeniably wonderful parents among our readership. Here are two of my favorite letters. Dear Annie: This is in response to “Letting Go Is Hard to Do,” who was worried about the choices her daughter might be making at college after seeing a questionable bank transaction. I am also the mom of a college-age student. We have had a joint account ever since my son was a senior in high school. I made a promise to myself to not allow our joint checking accounts to be a way to peek into his ...

To Your Good Health

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband is 73 and was diagnosed with heart failure and a severely dilated left ventricle. At the time, he was pumping 10 liters per minute. He had a proBNP natriuretic peptide level over 10,000 and an ejection fraction of 39%. Later, he was found to have an abdominal arteriovenous malformation. He underwent three radiological procedures to reduce the size of the AVM. One year post-procedure, his cardiac output was 5.7 liters per minute; his proBNP level was 1,300; and his ejection fraction was 54%. Clearly, the AVM was the source of the high-output congestive heart ...