7+ hour, 24+ min ago (727+ words) Imagine a high school student in rural California, struggling with a mental issue for weeks with no one to talk to. The nearest therapist is hours away, the youth's family can't spare the time or gas and even if they could get there, the next available appointment isn't for months. It's likely the student will keep showing up to school, pretending everything's fine. Now imagine a trained classmate they could talk to after class " someone who could listen, really understand and help them find support. In rural America, young people face some of the most alarming mental health challenges in the nation, with rates of depression, anxiety and suicide far outpacing those of their urban peers. Suicide rates among rural adolescents and young adults are nearly 50% higher than those in suburban or urban areas. California is not an exception to…...

2+ day, 14+ hour ago (646+ words) Novato police officers and firefighters want parents to be mindful if electric bicycles are on their holiday shopping lists for their children. The city produced an online video this month to inform viewers about the state and county regulations on e-bikes. "Consider your child's age, maturity and level of experience before purchasing an age appropriate e-bike for them," Novato police Sgt. Trevor Hall said in the video. The video also warns viewers that electric motorcycles can be mistaken for e-bikes. Such vehicles generally travel faster than e-bikes and are covered by different state regulations. Police said 15 incidents in Novato involved e-bikes or e-scooters over the past year, many involving serious injuries. Last month, a 14-year-old boy suffered critical injuries from crashing his e-motorcycle into a van on Cambridge Street. "There is a measurable amount of confusion over what an e-bike…...

1+ week, 3+ hour ago (482+ words) As the leaves begin to change and the temperature starts to cool, families are reminded of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season, which typically falls between October and March. While the virus causes mild, cold-like symptoms for adults, it can be particularly dangerous for infants. Two to three out of every 100 infants under 6 months old are hospitalized with RSV every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the last few years, Cho and physicians across the United States have been urging their patients to consider getting a relatively new vaccine to protect against RSV infection. In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first RSV vaccine, Abrysvo, for use during pregnancy. Cho advises that the single-dose vaccine should be given between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, from September to January, to provide protection during the RSV season. "It's…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (682+ words) Editor's note: The IJ is reprinting some of the late Beth Ashley's columns. This is from 2012. How nice. My great-niece spent the weekend with us recently and brought her 14-month-old baby with her. I was transported back to Mommy Land. Baby Eamon was sturdy, handsome and well-behaved. He reminded me, ahem, of my own kids when they were young. I recall thinking then what prizes they were. When I wheeled them through the market, I expected heads to turn. Now that they are grown, I have to strain to remember them as little boys. Was Gil, now 6 feet, 11 inches, ever the angelic blond who read at 3 and danced at 4? Could Guy, with his manly chin and curly black hair, be the tiny person whose hand I held to cross each street? They're no longer little, but much of the joy…...

1+ mon, 1+ day ago (557+ words) A week before I gave birth last February, the research team I work with published a study in a prominent scientific journal on how paid family leave affects maternal and child health. The study found that having access to paid family leave led to a decrease in postpartum depression and an increase in the number of weeks babies are breastfed. Yet the United States remains the only high-income country without a national paid family leave policy. Our sole federal policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, only requires unpaid leave. Some states have enacted their own policies: California, where I live, mandates eight weeks of partially paid leave. There has been a lot of movement in this area, both good and bad. Vermont recently announced a voluntary family leave plan. Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering whether to extend leave to more…...

2+ mon, 5+ day ago (587+ words) Becoming a grandparent begins a bond unlike any other " one that promises depth, delight and unexpected wisdom. Today's grandparents aren't just storybook figures or weekend babysitters. Many have also taken on the role of fierce protector. They may tread lightly when offering advice, but when it comes to health, especially vaccinations, their life experience instructs them to take a firmer tack. Many of today's grandparents lived through a time when vaccines were unavailable. They remember the itchy fevers of chickenpox, the swelling from mumps or being quarantined with measles " no school, no playdates and sometimes no happy ending. These weren't just childhood rites of passage. They were serious, sometimes deadly, illnesses that changed lives and stole futures. Filmmaker and grandfather Francis Ford Coppola was 9 years old when he contracted polio, a traumatic experience that shaped his life and advocacy. Today,…...

3+ mon, 1+ day ago (864+ words) For The Washington Post When Kathleen Brigham and her then-husband, Jim, decided to divorce, she proposed an unconventional living arrangement: Instead of shuttling their three children back and forth between homes every few days, they would let the kids stay put. The parents would take turns living with them. "It was really about the three kids and not about us," Brigham said. "I was just trying to find any way I could soften the blow." Of course, no two divorces are alike. From the "conscious uncoupling" popularized by actress Gwyneth Paltrow and musician Chris Martin, to the mutually assured destruction of marriages that end in emotional and financial wars, divorce experiences are all over the map. Leo Tolstoy had it right: Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. But for ex-couples who find themselves more on Paltrow's gentler…...

3+ mon, 3+ week ago (742+ words) Dear Eric: I have a friend I have known since third grade. She lives in another state. She is a very good friend but quite opinionated and comes on a bit strong. Recently, I went on a trip with three of my other friends in the state where this friend lives. Since we were close by, she asked if she could join us. I felt uncomfortable asking my other friends if she could join us, but they were very nice and said it was fine. It was OK. Now, my three friends and I are planning a trip in the spring and, when this friend heard us talking, she said she would like to join us again. I don't want to put my other friends in another awkward position. How do I handle this situation? Dear Dilemma: Respectfully, it sounds…...

3+ mon, 3+ week ago (835+ words) Dear Eric: I'm a retired gay man in my late 60s, and like many gay men my age, I married young and have children, as well as a grandchild. My small circle of friends is younger and still working, and several have never been in a relationship with a woman. I listen to my friends' rants on their workplace, declining health of parents and relationship problems, and upon our next meetup, will ask "How's your mom doing?" or "Did that job issue get resolved?" I make constant eye contact with anybody who is speaking to me and feel like I am being a good friend. Then I might tell them something about my children or grandson, and their eyes glaze over, or worse, they pull out their phone when I am telling them about my life. On several occasions, I just…...

5+ mon, 3+ week ago (272+ words) In 1990s San Francisco, my mothers joined a small but mighty group of queer women making history by embarking on the journey of motherhood. Nearly three decades later, I recognize that my upbringing was a gift, maybe even my superpower. When my brother and I were very young, my moms explained that our nontraditional family was not at all a source of shame, but rather of absolute pride. We learned that diversity is inherent to our humanity, and that our differences give us strength. At the same time, we also became aware of the hatred and intolerance directed toward our community. Through it all, I had a wonderful and privileged childhood. On the surface, I was just another White, heterosexual, cisgender male from an affluent Bay Area community. I mostly avoided direct discrimination and was never forced to question my identity…...