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“Oh my aching back!” “When I get up from a chair, I can barely move.” “I was bending down the other day to put a pot away and suddenly I heard a pop.” These are typical comments from those suffering from implacable back pain.  A few years ago, I did a story on back problems and discovered one of the best ways to ward off back problems is really very simple: Take a walk. Apparently hoofing it strengthens stomach and back muscles and bones and keeps your heart rate up doing something aerobic that isn’t stressful on your body as...

My mom is slowing down. Her memory isn't as sharp; her gait is slower, and she now depends on her cane or walker to get around. I'm sad about what I know is just around the bend.  Truth be told, my daughters, son-in-law, grandson, beau, and I have been lucky. She's 96 1/2, still living alone and independently, discussing the political scene with vitriol, and enjoying a hearty appetite. Her voice still sounds robust, too.  These changes, albeit gradual, are quite obvious to us…and are disturbing. I brainstorm with my daughters and our immediate circle about ways to help her remain...

When it comes to medications, there is no magic pill, although many times in my life a medicine has offered a wonderful aid to recovery. An antibiotic helps when I've had a serious infection, an aspirin or related product cures a strong headache, and even a Xanax relaxes me when I am terribly anxious whether it was during a difficult divorce or when I experience turbulence in the sky since flying is not my favorite mode of transportation.  Yet, I've learned with the good comes the not so good. Medicines have their side effects. I know firsthand. My move to...

I called the beauty salon where I’ve been a client for years to ask for the name of someone to cut my hair. My previous person had moved out of state.  “How about T.?” said the receptionist. “She’s the stylist who teaches new stylists how to cut hair. She does a great job.”  “Okay, why not?” I responded.  I entered the shop for my appointment, announced that I was there for T. and out she came to greet me. She washed my hair and pointed to her chair. “I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said.  As a writer...

I used to tell friends and family that after my three children left home for college and work, my husband and I would savor the payoff years in our marriage. Although I wept inconsolably after dropping off my youngest child at college, it took about one hour to realize that, hey, this could be the start of something new. And it was. We often feel the same about our careers. We work, structure our lives around our jobs and families, try to balance the demanding needs of each, put money into retirement accounts, pay off our mortgages, smile gleefully when...