Constant talk about losing weight has unhealthy effect

DEAR ABBY: My dad had a heart attack and nearly died a year ago. Since then, he has totally revamped his diet and put forth the effort to eat a plant-based diet to become healthier. It has been a family affair, and my sister jumped on the bandwagon as well.

Why your 401(k) is key to your future retirement

Do you know what millionaires say is the number one tool for building wealth? Is it single stocks? Nope. How about real estate? Guess again. What about an inheritance? Not even close. The answer, according to our National Study of Millionaires, is the 401(k).

Backup boyfriend can’t say no to teacher he’s in love with

DEAR ABBY: I’m a 39-year-old gay male who was in a relationship with a very attractive 44-year-old teacher. He never wanted to commit to a monogamous relationship. After 10 months of seeing each other, he informed me that he is about to enter into a relationship with a 22-year-old.

Heart attacks not always easy to diagnose in women

Dear Doctor: A month ago, our 69-year-old mother became nauseated and had pain in her jaw. Then she got so weak that my brother made her go to the ER. It turned out she’d had a heart attack. She never had chest pain, so she had no idea anything bad was going on. Is that common?

Reader shocked friend glib about health

DEAR HARRIETTE: A good friend of mine just told me that she almost died because she didn’t take her blood pressure medicine. She is a smart, professional woman who has an important job and is involved in many civic organizations, plus she is a wife and mom.

Wife discovers man has been secretly recording arguments

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 10 years and have two children. One of them is a toddler. I recently found out that my husband has been recording me with his phone at various times without my consent when we have heated arguments.

Despite mom’s example, you should eat your veggies

Hello again, dear readers, and welcome to the monthly letters column. Although it’s almost autumn, the heat waves keep on coming. Please take precautions. Stay hydrated, avoid peak heat hours and use your fans or air conditioning.

Son is unmotivated after lazy summer

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m worried about my son’s discipline as he starts off this school year. For the first time, he did not have extracurricular activities this summer. He was supposed to have a job, but he couldn’t find one. He mostly hung out with friends or slept around the house.

Daughter doesn’t share mom’s devotion to family heirlooms

DEAR ABBY DEAR ABBY: My mother, who is in her late 60s, is obsessed with family history and preserving attachments to relatives.

Three-quarters of women suffer from yeast infections

ASK THE DOCTORS Dear Doctor: I had a yeast infection, and even though I did everything the doctor told me to, it has come back twice. What causes a yeast infection? How do I keep from getting another one?