Happy Thursday! This week, we're writing about fluoride in our drinking water, soulmate parenting and gratitude. Plus, we've got our weekly "joy" snack. But before that ...
This week's must-reads:
RFK Jr. says he drinks raw milk. How safe is unpasteurized milk?Why kettlebells are so popular for quick, at-home workoutsGratitude can improve our mental health. Here's how to create a practice.iPhones and AirPods now come with hearing health tools. A look at how they work.Is it anxiety or something else? What women should know.
Fluoride in drinking water
Longtime denizens of Lebanon, Oregon, recalled widespread tooth decay among children before the city council voted to add fluoride to the drinking water two decades ago. But a group of residents remained unconvinced, reporter Fenit Nirappil writes.
They urged neighbors to do their own research, insisting it would reveal that the mineral embraced for generations to improve oral health was actually a dangerous substance that could harm their organs. They shared photos of corroded pipes and scarred arms they claimed were damaged by the acidic, concentrated form of fluoride. Was it worth $25,000 a year in tax dollars for the city to put fluoride in drinking water?
The skepticism prevailed on Election Day as Lebanon voters narrowly voted to remove fluoride from the water supply, mirroring how more Americans are starting to question a practice experts have lauded as one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.
Read more of Fenit's story here.
How soulmate parenting can lead to parent-child estrangement
This week, our Ask a Therapist columnist is Joshua Coleman, a clinical psychologist in the Bay Area.
My son recently sent me a "no-contact letter" saying that he realized in therapy that he has been depressed since childhood and was angry at me for not recognizing it. I feel guilty and ashamed, but I am also confused.
It's easy to sympathize with both my patient and her son. With the son for having suffered more than he might have with earlier intervention. With the mother for believing she had failed him and creating a potential end to their relationship.
At the heart of their conflict, however, are assumptions that should be questioned. In my practice that focuses on parent-adult child relationships, I find that today's expectations of parents follow similar lines to those of the contemporary romantic ideal: the soulmate.
In soulmate parenting, a parent is required to be best friend, sensitive listener, cheerleader and diagnostician. They're tasked not just with identifying any potential problem or liability that might cause their child to be unable to live out their full potential but also with ensuring they achieve that ultimate goal in an individualistic culture: happiness. Many parents who fail in these tasks may face contempt or estrangement.
Read more here about the effects of soulmate parenting.
Are at-home genetic tests worth it?
Our Ask a Doctor columnist this week is Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD, chief of the division of hematology and professor of medicine at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami.
I'm curious about genetic tests for cancer. Are the at-home tests a good idea? What should I know about genetic mutations and cancer?
More people are discovering they carry a cancer risk due to the increased availability of commercial, direct-to-consumer tests. These tests offer assessments for genetic mutations, or variants from the norm, that are linked to certain cancers.
As an oncologist, I encourage my patients to keep a few things in mind before ordering a genetic test. First, inheriting a proclivity to develop cancer is relatively rare, with only 5 to 10 percent of all cancers believed to be associated with inherited genetic variants.
Additionally, commercial tests are often limited to detecting just a few gene mutations. For example, results from 23andMe can inform you that you're at increased risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer or prostate cancer.
But if many people in your family have developed cancer, and you're concerned about your own risk of having inherited a cancer gene, you should discuss this with your doctor, who may be able to order a more comprehensive genetic screening panel than those offered by direct-to-consumer companies.
Read his 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.
The week's best photos from The Washington Post include a balloon festival and a baby turtle.Our best bread recipes for Thanksgiving, including rolls and biscuitsTikTok's 'onion boil' isn't boiled. It's so good it doesn't matter.They married at 98 and 96: 'Who doesn't love a great love story?'Dog left for dead on road; couple empty wedding fund to save her
Let's keep the conversation going. We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected].
Want to know more about "joy" snacks? Our Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima explains. You can also read this story as a comic.