Dear Doctors: I am a 46-year-old woman, and I recently moved to be closer to my family. I have a new doctor who surprised me by talking about grip strength. She said it’s an important measure of health. I have never heard of this. Can you explain?
DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband is an entrepreneur. Over the past five years or so, his company has really taken off, and I couldn’t be happier for him.
Two things are true: One, former President Donald Trump’s polling – nationally, in key swing states, and in the first-voting state of Iowa – has never been better. And two, Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by the Biden Justice Department to prosecute Trump, is taking self-described “extraordinary” measures in a rush to put Trump on trial before the 2024 presidential election. The two things are not unrelated. And nothing could more effectively illustrate the contrast between Trump’s rising political fortunes and the administration’s effort to imprison him before the election.
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DEAR HARRIETTE: I sent the wrong text to a gym buddy, and now I am sure that she thinks I like her more than I do. I met a really nice girl at the gym, and although we have not gone on a formal date, we have grabbed a bite to eat together after working out. We flirt a lot.
With the passage of House Bill 2418, which took effect Nov. 1, Oklahoma became the first state in the nation to require a course for new teen drivers to teach them about safety in road construction zones and when around first responders.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My teenage granddaughter, who is a junior in high school, and I are going through a period of disagreement. It seems like we can’t see eye to eye on anything lately.
• It’s believed something like 5 billion pounds of unwanted holiday gifts – sweaters, gift baskets, candy, decor and more – end up in landfills every year. That means a lot of “perfect” gifts ended up being wastes of resources and money. For gift-giving, think less materialistic and more experiential. A night out for dinner with friends, paid access to a news outlet or a subscription to a digital music service are all great gifts to give ... with no waste!
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to our monthly letters column. With chillier weather in much of the country, we’re getting a lot of questions about flu and COVID-19 prevention. And to everyone who wrote in last month to share your frustration with (and adverse effects from) the return to standard time, you are not alone. The switch prompted some interesting questions about sleep, which we’ll address in future columns.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My birthday just passed, and I am throwing a birthday party at my friend’s house. I used to invite everyone in my grade to my parties when I was younger, but my classes were also very small then. Now that I am in college, I cannot invite everybody.