Dear Doctors: Is it true that we're being told to eat even less salt than before? I've been hearing that there are new rules about that, but I don't know what they are. How much salt is OK to eat? Why is it that this kind of advice keeps changing?
DEAR HARRIETTE: I work remotely. I'm about 4 months pregnant, and the only person I work with who knows about my pregnancy is my boss. I'm not particularly close with any of my co-workers. My colleagues can see me on Zoom, but only from the shoulders up. Should I tell my co-workers about my pregnancy? There's no reason they need to know, but I have no reason to hide it from them either. – Expecting
DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend told me not to accept a job offer at her current company because she is miserable there. She told me that she is overworked and grossly undercompensated. If I accept the job, I will be working in the same department as her and receiving the same pay. Should I listen to her? This has been my first job offer since last year. – Job Advice
● The National Wildlife Federation estimates as many as 4 billion birds are killed every year by household cats. While hunting birds is instinctual behavior for cats, it takes a heavy toll on bird populations. One classic solution that definitely doesn't work is a brightly colored collar with a bell on it. The NWF says this old trick is ineffective because bells aren't "something that wildlife associates with predators or danger," and most birds don't see color anyway. The best preventative measure? Keep your cats indoors, or keep a watchful eye on them if they are outdoors.
Sen. Joe Manchin's announcement that he will not support the Democrats' giant spending bill should not have been a surprise to anyone who has been watching Manchin for the last few months. Yet many Democrats, especially in the White House and in the progressive wing of the House of Representatives, appeared shocked when Manchin told Fox News' Bret Baier, "I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't."
DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been working on a project for several years. It paused for two years because of COVID-19, but it started up again last month. I noticed that one of the key freelancers with whom I had worked on this project was nowhere to be found. When I asked about him, I got the cold shoulder. I am grateful that I was invited back, but I find it odd that he is the only one who was left out. I want to reach out to him to see how he's doing. I talked to him a couple of times during lockdown, which was nice. I feel uncomfortable now, though. I don't want to tell him that everybody is back on the job except for him. On the other hand, it would be terrible if he found out and I hadn't given him the heads-up. I consider him to be a friend. Should I tell him? – Excluded
If you want to understand the world we occupy – the challenges we face, but more important, the failures we endure – forget for a moment that this is a day in late December 2021. Think instead that it is October 1943.
Dear Doctors: My chorus has started meeting again – outdoors and vaccinated – to practice and sing. We've had a year off, and I'm upset that my voice is getting to be hoarse, and even cracking on low notes. I'm 67 years old and have always been a good singer. Is this happening from disuse?
DEAR HARRIETTE: I have two siblings. I'm close to one, and things are awkward with the other. Over the years, I have tried to keep a bond going with my sibling, but now I'm tired. Depending on her mood when I call, she can be friendly or terse. I never know what I'm going to get, and she is never accommodating of my feelings. I always have to kowtow to her. I am tired of it. My parents made us promise that we would stay connected after they passed. I think my mother knew there was a good chance that we would drift apart. But now I don't want to put in any more work. I'm tired of getting my feelings hurt and being dissed or dismissed based on her whims. Can I walk away now even though she is my flesh and blood? – Estranged
My Uncle Andy recently turned 90, and it was hard to imagine what a guy would like for his 90th birthday.