Dog park behavior stresses out dog owner

Dog park behavior stresses out dog owner

Dec 05, 2025

DEAR HARRIETTE: I go to a dog park weekly, and there’s one dog owner who keeps letting their dog jump all over me and my dog, even though I’ve repeatedly tried to set boundaries. I’ve politely asked them to control their dog, and I’ve even stepped in front of my dog to block the other dog when it gets too rough, but nothing seems to stick. Every time it happens, the dog owner laughs it off and says, “Oh, he’s just excited!” or “He doesn’t mean anything by it,” but I feel disrespected, and my dog seems stressed by the repeated interactions. What makes it worse is that the other regulars at the park also laugh it off, so I start to feel like I’m the one overreacting. I love going to the dog park, and I enjoy socializing, but this situation has made it stressful, and I’m starting to dread attending.

Elizabeth Ko, M.D.

Morton’s neuroma causes sensation of pressure

Dec 05, 2025

Dear Doctors: This weird thing keeps happening where it feels like the sock in my left shoe has gotten wadded up underneath the ball of my foot. Every time I check, nothing is wrong. Is something wrong? My health insurance isn’t very good, so deciding to see a doctor is a big deal.

As parties entrench, an impasse grows

As parties entrench, an impasse grows

Dec 03, 2025

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. – He helped supply the Continental Army during the early days of the American Revolution. He signed the Declaration of Independence. He shaped the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He was a member of the House of Representatives, a governor of Massachusetts and vice president. He lent his name – perhaps the most mispronounced name in American history, even more so than Kamala – to the creative shaping of a congressional district we now call “gerrymandering.”

Friend doesn’t want to plan every gathering

Friend doesn’t want to plan every gathering

Dec 03, 2025

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend expects me to handle every single detail whenever we hang out: choosing the activity, making the reservations, checking hours and figuring out travel time. The moment we decide to do something, she defaults to, “You pick!” or “Just tell me where to go!”

Elizabeth Ko, M.D.

The connection between music and memory

Dec 03, 2025

Dear Doctors: I know therapists use music to get through to people with Alzheimer’s disease who don’t really connect with anything else anymore.

Stranger’s mix-up causes reflection on health

Stranger’s mix-up causes reflection on health

Dec 02, 2025

DEAR HARRIETTE: I was coming up out of the subway the other day when a man spoke to me from behind. He complimented me on my outfit and then looked at me. He remarked that he had thought I was someone else – a prominent woman in our city.

Trump is making America poor again

Trump is making America poor again

Dec 02, 2025

Fox News host Laura Ingraham recently told President Trump that America didn’t need to import foreign workers because “we have plenty of talented people here.” The president then gave an astounding retort. “No, you don’t,” he said. “You don’t have certain talents.”

Elizabeth Ko, M.D.

Stroke likely not caused by medication

Nov 29, 2025

Dear Doctors: After getting a pacemaker, my 90-year-old mother was diagnosed with A-fib. She resisted taking a blood thinner for stroke risk but finally agreed. Not 90 minutes after the first pill, she had a major stroke. Who can I notify that this is a possible side effect of the medication?

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