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Confessions of a new coffee drinker

I have a confession to make. At an age when most people are thinking about giving up coffee, I’ve just started drinking it. Six months ago, in fact. I’ve somehow managed to get through college, motherhood, various careers and a zillion early mornings without becoming a coffee drinker. I’ve always been one of those suspicious people clutching tea or hot chocolate while everyone else wandered around with paper cups the size of flower pots. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Somewhere around college I discovered that coffee and I did not have a healthy relationship. I’d drink one ...

Maybe Baseball Holds the Answer

These are troubled times we’re living in these days. Our country is at war, not only with another country, but we’re fighting a war within our own nation’s boundaries, a Cold War between Red and Blue. We’re fighting wars on drugs, wars on a variety of trafficking, wars on senseless killings and violence, and many other disagreements, skirmishes, and spats which have created tension among people of this country. Two weeks ago, the Voice from the Bullpen asked the question, “Do you believe in miracles?” making the point that it might take a miracle for our country to reunite ...

Beat The Heat: How to stay safe while traveling during extreme heat

As travelers prepare to set off on summer trips, scorching temperatures lie in wait. Above-average temperatures could be on the books this summer, according to forecasters, and a developing El Nino event could spell out warmer weather later in the year or next summer. Sizzling temperatures ...

How to handle a layoff as a working senior citizen

Question: I am over 65 and was working, but I just got laid off and am not sure we will be going back to work anytime soon. What do I do about Medicare and insurance? Answer: I am sorry for your situation. Life can change so quickly. All of us hope to someday retire, but you may be doing this ...

Why scratching a bug bite is a bad idea

WASHINGTON (AP) — You've likely heard it since childhood: Don't scratch that bug bite or rash, you'll make it worse. But why would something that feels so good be bad? A lot of things can cause itchiness, sometimes serious diseases. Whatever the cause, doctors have long warned that scratching too much can damage the skin. Now researchers better understand why even a mildly annoying itch could put you on an itch-and-scratch cycle if you give in. How did they find out? In part by putting tiny "cones of shame" onto mice to uncover what happens on a cellular level when an itch gets ...