Dear Doctors: I would like to know about cortisol and what it does in the body. I keep hearing that if you’re under a lot of stress, which I have been lately, your cortisol levels can go too high. What are the symptoms? How do you know if your cortisol level is OK?
DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend recently told me that she thinks we shouldn’t be friends anymore because I am so closed off. This has hurt me because I value our friendship, but I also understand where she is coming from. I am naturally introverted, and I tend to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. It’s not that I don’t care about her or our friendship; it’s just that expressing myself openly is challenging for me. I often find social interactions draining, and I need a lot of alone time to recharge. This can make me appear distant or uninterested, but that’s not the case at all.
We’ll probably learn within a week or two whether President Joe Biden’s vow to persist in his 2024 candidacy will hold, or whether he’ll yield to what Democrats urging him to step aside see as political reality. If previous Democratic presidents are keeping their counsel, their best-known political advisers are not.
• You’re having a picnic or spending time outdoors and want to pour your excess soda, lemonade or sweetened iced tea onto the ground, or by a plant to give it a little extra treat. What’s the harm, right? Actually, you’re creating a lot of harm. Plants don’t metabolize sugar like humans do – the sugar blocks their ability to absorb water.
DEAR HARRIETTE: Six months ago, my grandmother passed away and left me a significant inheritance.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m facing an absolutely disheartening situation involving my fiancé and my grandmother, who raised me single-handedly due to my parents’ struggles with addiction. My grandmother has always been my rock, and now, with her health declining, there’s pressure from my fiance to move her into a nursing home. He’s adamant about not having her live with us, which conflicts with my desire to care for her at home as she did for me. I love my fiance dearly and I understand his reasoning of wanting to start a new chapter with me focusing only on ourselves, but at the same time, I am disappointed because he knows exactly how much Gran means to me. Additionally, my fiance is pushing for us to get married soon, but I’m torn. I want to honor Gran by providing her with the best care possible. – Granddaughter
William Jennings Bryan called for Americans not to be crucified “upon a cross of gold” in 1896.
Dear Doctors: I had muscle pain and exhaustion for two years, and no one could figure out what was wrong. A rheumatologist recently diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I would appreciate any information you have about this, including what the treatment options are.
President Joe Biden vented “I’m getting frustrated by the elites in the party,” on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” ‘Oh, they know so much more.’ Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me.” When host Joe Scarborough mentioned that some donors want him to withdraw, the president snarled, “I don’t care what the millionaires think. ... I am running.”
It is construction season.