Dear Doctors: Whenever you talk about neti pots, you include a warning about always using distilled water. It seemed to me like an overreaction, but now there’s news that someone died from not doing that. Why would that be, when drinking water is treated and goes through testing?
We know many Democrats were stunned when Donald Trump won a second term as president. We know many are still angry about it. But we’re just now learning how angry some of them are.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister and I have always been close, but lately our relationship has been feeling strained, and I think it has a lot to do with how she constantly compares our kids. Every time we’re together, she makes comments about how much more advanced her daughter is or how her son is better behaved. She’ll say things like, “Well, mine was already reading at that age,” or “Maybe you should try what we do, it seems to work.” Sometimes it’s subtle, but other times it feels downright competitive.
Dear Doctors: Type 1 diabetes runs in our family. Because of that, our pediatrician asked to do blood tests with our son to check if Type 1 is beginning. She also said that if it shows up, there’s a medicine that can slow things down. I’ve never heard of any of this and would like to know more.
PETOSKEY, Mich. – The sun is out, the lake is glistening, the strawberries are bright red and summer-sweet. Golfers and anglers are busy, cyclists are on the move, brats are on the barbecue. This is Michigan at its best.
DEAR HARRIETTE: There’s this guy I’ve been seeing, and now that we’re official, I’ve been spending a lot more time at his house. I recently learned about a strange habit of his that I don’t appreciate. He works in sanitation and often has early morning shifts. When he leaves for work, he walks outside shirtless. The first time this happened, I was shocked. I asked him where he was going without his clothing, and he said his shirt was in the car. He was parked right in front of his house, but I found it inappropriate.
I am finally moving my clothes back into my closet.
After Sen. Thom Tillis announced his opposition to Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, the president excoriated the North Carolina Republican and vowed to support a primary candidate against him next year. Tillis promptly declared that he was not running again, depriving Trump of leverage and reclaiming the “pure freedom” to speak his mind.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a friend who is a wine connoisseur. She knows a lot about it and spends a lot of money on it. I don’t have that kind of money, but I do enjoy wine and like to serve it when guests visit. I find my friend to be obnoxious about her wine tastes. I see her turn up her nose when she sees my selections. She has taken to bringing her own bottles when she comes over to my house so that she can drink what she likes. I find this to be rude – especially since she doesn’t share her wine with others.
Hello, dear readers! Welcome to our monthly letters column. Summer is here and in most parts of the United States, it has arrived in full force.