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To help you understand what political gaslighting is — and how to spot it — the illustrator Shannon Wright has created a comic explaining five things to look out for during election season.
Answers about sex in menopause
After surgery thrust her into menopause at age 40, Stephanie Scott of Hamilton, Ontario, said she had “zero sex drive.” Hormone treatments helped with hot flashes and insomnia, but they didn’t increase her desire for sex.
So she signed up for a research study that was testing a unique type of therapy for menopausal women with low desire because of menopause. The result: a noticeable improvement in her sex life.
The results of the research, presented this week at the annual meeting of the Menopause Society, suggest that cognitive behavioral therapy — a specific form of talk therapy — can significantly improve sexual dysfunction problems related to perimenopause and menopause.
Sexual concerns due to decreased estrogen levels and other factors are reported by between 68 and 86 percent of women going through perimenopause and postmenopause, doctors and women’s health researchers say. These declines in function — from a lower libido to trouble achieving orgasm or pain during sex — can undermine self-esteem and overall physical and emotional well-being, women report.
But despite these negative impacts, treatment options (and, in particular, non-drug ones) are limited. To learn more about how talk therapy can help, read the full report.
When a runny nose becomes a medical mystery
At first Shemika Rodriguez assumed her runny nose was the sign of an annoying cold. But after several weeks, the drip from her left nostril became nearly constant.
Her first stop in early June was an urgent-care clinic where she was told she had an allergy and was given allergy medication and a nasal spray. Neither helped. She began noticing that when she bent over, she felt pressure in her forehead. She also began experiencing dizzy spells and periodic balance problems. She later saw a nurse practitioner who told her she didn’t have allergies but was battling a virus.
“I felt like I was drowning when I lay down,” Rodriguez said, adding that liquid ran down her throat resembling what happens with postnasal drip. By early August “it was like a leaky faucet,” Rodriguez recalled.
Can you solve this medical mystery? Read the full story to find out what this runny nose was really all about.
How bad is gluten, really?
Our columnist is Trisha S. Pasricha, a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.
I get abdominal pain and brain fog when I eat gluten, but I’ve tested negative for celiac disease. Could I have gluten sensitivity? How bad is gluten really?
I have lots of patients in my gastroenterology clinic who report a sensitivity to gluten, a component of wheat, but test negative for celiac disease. In celiac disease, a common autoimmune condition that is rising worldwide, gluten triggers inflammation in the small bowel. But many people without celiac disease perceive a variety of symptoms they connect to eating gluten: bloating, diarrhea and even brain fog, fatigue or joint aches.
While some patients do truly have a gluten-specific sensitivity, there’s a good chance it’s not actually the gluten that’s the issue. In an Italian study of nearly 400 patients complaining of symptoms related to gluten intake, the vast majority — 86 percent — did not experience any symptom improvement with a gluten-free diet.
Instead, I often advise a trial of a low-FODMAP diet, particularly for those with irritable bowel syndrome. FODMAPs are a group of fermentable carbohydrates found in wheat and many other foods that are notorious for gastrointestinal distress. Examples of FODMAPs include:
- Onions and garlic
- Fruits such as apples and pears
- Lactose-containing foods like soft cheeses and milk
- Nuts such as cashews and pistachios
To learn more about gluten and FODMAPs, read the full response. And use our Ask a Doctor form to submit a question, and we may answer it in a future column.
Find your joy snack!
Here are a few things that brought us joy this week.
- Enjoy some of this week’s best photographs from The Washington Post.
- She lost everything in a flood. Then a stranger showed up with an envelope.
- Water buffalo escapes slaughter, evades police, becomes local celebrity
- Grilled Peaches With Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- How to make flavored salts to easily enhance your cooking
- In praise of being a terrible gardener
Let’s keep the conversation going. I want to hear from you! Email me at wellbeing@washpost.com. You can also find us on TikTok.
Want to know more about “joy” snacks? Our Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima explains. You can also read this story as a comic.
