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Be aware colorectal cancer preventable and treatable

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the time of year when you’ll see lots of reminders about colon health and the importance of getting screened for this type of cancer – screenings that can prevent the second leading cause of cancer deaths. In fact, new data now reveals colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women under 50 years of age. Colorectal cancer is common with more than 150,000 new cases found each year. Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening because physicians can not only identify cancer in its early ...

Choosing my next chapter

Dear Annie: My children are trying to move me into assisted living, and I feel like I’m being slowly erased. I am in my early 80s, and I still live in the home where I raised my kids. It is not fancy, but it is mine. I know every creaky stair. I know which window sticks in the winter. I have neighbors who check in on me, a routine that keeps me grounded and a life that feels familiar and dignified. Here is the part that makes me feel misunderstood. Last Sunday, I hosted what I have hosted for years, coffee and banana bread after church. Nothing glamorous. Just a few neighbors at my ...

Dairy questions answered

A reader recently emailed me, saying that they were distressed about how modern dairies operate. I replied with some insights gleaned from my six decades’ worth of dairy experience. The majority of America’s dairy cows live in confinement facilities. The cows remain indoors from time they give birth to their first calf. Many dairies milk their cows three times per day. When I dairy farmed I could only milk twice a day. My higher producing cows would often be leaving white puddles on the ground by the time they were milked. A stressed cow produces less milk. As such, confinement ...

What is due process?

Simply stated, due process is a fundamental right guaranteed by the United States Constitution. The American concept of due process comes from English Common Law, which is rooted in the Magna Carta of 1215. That foundational document states that individuals cannot be punished or have their property taken without due legal process. This long-standing tradition was incorporated in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution and applied to states in the Fourteenth Amendment. Both citizens and non-citizens have the right to due process which includes a chance to defend their rights and to ...

A family wedding minus one

Dear Annie: Am I being too sensitive? My niece’s son is getting married this year. I always believed I was close to her family, but when the “save the date” and shower invitations went out, my daughter was not included -- although all the other cousins were. My daughter rarely attends family functions, so when one of my sisters asked why “Charlotte” wasn’t invited, the answer was, “We didn’t think she would come.” Charlotte is my only daughter, and I feel that the least they could have done was mention this to me beforehand. Instead, I stood at a family gathering and ...

Living under the threat of divorce

Dear Annie: I am a 69-year-old man who is still totally and madly in love with my wife of 49 years. I know many people would say I’m foolish for feeling this way after she cheated on me several times during the early years of our marriage. At the time, I blamed myself. We were young, I felt responsible for providing for our growing family, and I threw myself into work. I came from a broken home, and my wife came from poverty. I was determined that neither of us would ever go through that again. Looking back, I think my long hours may have left her feeling lonely. After that, I made ...