Balancing while walking backward

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. We have some interesting follow-up questions and will dive right in.– A column about the benefits of walking backward continues to generate mail.We heard from a reader in San Diego asking about balance.

Relative concerned nephew’s teeth are rotting

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 14-year-old nephew’s teeth are rotting, and my brother and sister-in-law are choosing to ignore it instead of taking him to the dentist. My nephew had poor dental hygiene growing up and rarely brushed his teeth.

President Trump and his voters

Anew analysis in the Wall Street Journal offers striking evidence that, for all his problems, President Donald Trump has delivered economic benefits to the voters whose support was the foundation of his victory in 2024.

Reader’s trip with mom turns sour

DEAR HARRIETTE: I wanted to do something special for my mom, so I decided to surprise her with a vacation for her birthday. She loves to travel, so I thought it’d be a nice opportunity for the two of us to get away and bond. My mom and I are not as close as I would like us to be.

Neuroplasticity helps brain compensate

ASK THE DOCTORSDear Doctors: I was diagnosed with cryptogenic ischemic strokes, but I’ve never had a single stroke symptom other than dizziness and balance issues. These had been blamed on an inner-ear infection. How could this happen when I’m otherwise healthy?

Aftershocks of 9/11 still felt years later

It seems like only yesterday.Tragedies sometimes have that effect. The good times – the triumphs, the moments of joy – aren’t forgotten, but are remembered in a smudge of memory. The great sadnesses remain, the pain persisting, the impact lingering.So it is with Sept. 11, 2001.

TODAY IN HISTORY

In 1774, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia.In 1836, Sam Houston was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas.In 1882, the first U.S. Labor Day celebration was held in New York City.

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

30 YEARS AGO• Cutting up material for nursing home bibs were industrious Custer County American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) women, showing what “Make A Difference Day” volunteering was all about.

Sister jealous of sibling’s success

DEAR HARRIETTE: My younger sister admitted to me that she is jealous of me and has spent her whole life trying to live up to my name. I will admit that I have been successful in life, but not without hard work. I create documentaries and have been able to travel all around the world for them.

Frailty exam can set baseline for the future

Dear Doctors: You had a column about frailty that got my dad’s attention. He’s 76, a former high school and college athlete and has always been strong. Now he’s got one of the signs you talked about: less grip strength. I read you can head off frailty if you start soon enough. If that’s right, how?