Columns & Opinions

Elizabeth Ko, M.D.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Estrogen cream may help with UTIs

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Hello, dear readers! Welcome to a bonus letters column. Right before writing this column, we made the annual shift into daylight saving time.We’ve given up an hour of morning light for a longer, sunlit evening.

Husband loses focus after retirement

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Husband loses focus after retirement

Saturday, March 21, 2026

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband retired last year, and ever since, he has done virtually nothing. He watches YouTube all day long, eats snacks, sits, smokes weed, drinks and complains.He was already becoming somewhat of a curmudgeon in recent years, but now he has gone off the deep end.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, March 21, 2026

In 1788, a fire destroyed most of the city of New Orleans.In 1963, the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay was closed.In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympic Games.

40 YEARS AGO Crowned Clinton wrestling queen at the homecoming match with El Reno was sophomore Lisa Gayle Jones, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Jones. Her escort was undefeated senior wrestler Buster Loving, who later won his 20th match of the season.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

CLINTON’S HISTORY 10, 20, 30 AND 40 YEARS AGO

Saturday, March 21, 2026

30 YEARS AGO• Clinton Police patrolmen Richard Rose and Gene Kelley stood in front of one of the cars that had been assigned for take-home duty. They were keeping police cars at their homes and using them for in-town personal errands.

The insane government shutdown

Exclusive Subscriber Content

The insane government shutdown

Friday, March 20, 2026

On March 1, an immigrant from Senegal, apparently angry over the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, donned a T-shirt that said “Property of Allah,” grabbed a Koran, a pistol and a semi-automatic rifle and headed toward a popular nightlife area in Austin, Texas.

Elizabeth Ko, M.D.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Likelihood of getting parasite in the pancreas

Friday, March 20, 2026

Dear Doctors: How do I cleanse my pancreas of parasites?Dear Reader: Your question assumes that you have a parasitic infection in your pancreas. Without additional details, such as symptoms you are having, any tests you’ve done or a specific diagnosis you received, we can’t offer much guidance.

Godson being pursued by much older woman

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Godson being pursued by much older woman

Friday, March 20, 2026

DEAR HARRIETTE: My godson is 22 years old – soon to be a college graduate beginning his life as an adult. He confides in me about his life, including his dating life. He told me that he is being courted by a woman who is 20 years older than him.

It’s gas and groceries again

Exclusive Subscriber Content

It’s gas and groceries again

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

The single biggest reason Donald Trump won the last election boils down to two words: gas and groceries. Joe Biden’s failure to control prices on those key commodities enabled Trump, who has never won a majority of the popular vote, to capture a second term.

Elizabeth Ko, M.D.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Dancing helps to preserve memory

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Dear Doctors: In regards to the phenomenon of music and cognition, multiple studies show folks who dance are less likely to develop dementia. This presumably takes the music component and adds memory, movement and doing something to a beat.

Anxious reader needs help feeling safe

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Anxious reader needs help feeling safe

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

DEAR HARRIETTE: Lately, my anxiety has been keeping me up at night, scaring me away from windows, crowded places, public transportation and tall buildings, and causing excessive overthinking. With recent developments between the United States and countries like Iran, I am afraid all the time.