Dina Cheney

It’s a bit of a Wild West out there when it comes to in vitro fertilization (IVF) tests and treatments. Many new tests and procedures have emerged that sound groundbreaking — and some might hold promise. Accurately predicting whether an IVF cycle will result in a baby still remains beyond our grasp.
“There have been studies in reproductive medicine looking at new things, but unfortunately, they’re not…randomized controlled trials with enough people to prove certain tests or treatments will he...

Employing the technique known as “trompe-l’oeil,” designers have mimicked three-dimensional surfaces to elevate rooms.
Le Grand Tour wallpaper, from Schumacher with the designer Johnson Hartig, provides an instant gallery wall. Laura Resen
For dingy walls and rooms without a view, there’s a simple fix: wallpaper.
Homeowners have long faked assets like marble and elaborate millwork in a technique known as trompe-l’oeil (French for “deceive the eye”). The French artist Louis-Léopold Boilly coin...

You may have taken edibles to chill out before—but pregnancy is a different story. Here’s what experts have to say.
Maybe you took the occasional edible or THC gummy to relieve anxiety or help with sleep before pregnancy. But now that you’re expecting, you might be wondering: Can you take edibles while pregnant?
Edibles are seemingly everywhere. From gummies to baked goods to even seltzers in a variety of flavors and strengths, for many people they’ve become a popular alternative to alcohol a...

Ashwini C. Bapat, MD, a palliative care physician, and her husband, a psychiatrist, had always planned to move abroad. But their resolution was solidified during a vacation in Portugal with their then 2-year-old daughter. While exploring towns on foot, passersby would turn around, smile, and tell them how cute their daughter was, she said.
In Boston, where they lived at the time, their experiences were quite different. Walking with their daughter on a bike path each Saturday morning, “bikers ...

If a steaming English breakfast or Earl Grey is your morning (or afternoon) pick-me-up, you might be wondering if you need to put this ritual on hold while pregnant—it has caffeine, after all.
The good news? According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), it’s generally safe to have a maximum of 200 milligrams of caffeine a day during pregnancy. Since a cup of black tea has about 40 to 50 milligrams of caffeine—about half as much as a cup of coffee—you should be f...

Some herbal teas are perfectly safe while pregnant—but there are others to steer clear of. Get the details, here.
During my pregnancies, I brewed a lot of mint tea. I figured it was a safe replacement for my typical coffee. Whether as a substitute for java or to soothe morning sickness or anxiety, herbal tea while pregnant is a common go-to.
But that doesn’t mean all herbal teas are safe during pregnancy. “Most people associate ‘herbal’ with ‘natural’ or ‘safe,’ but plants can contain chemica...

Homeowners and designers have found ways to blend accessibility and aesthetics.
A pneumatic elevator looks sleek and generally takes up less room than a traditional elevator.Richard Powers
Most older Americans want to age in place, electing to remain in their homes rather than move into senior housing facilities, according to a 2024 survey by AARP, the advocacy organization focused on older Americans. Yet fewer than 4 percent of American homes have basic accessibility features.
“It’s a really...

Ariela Marshall, MD, aged 42 years, consultative hematologist at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, thought she would be married with two kids by her early thirties. That was before she began 10 years of medical training.
Marshall, also chief innovation officer at Women in Medicine and curriculum chair at IGNITEMED, ended up marrying at 32 years. When she was 36 years old, she and her husband began trying to conceive. After fertility struggles, the couple pursued in vitro fertilization...

When Eden G. Fromberg, DO, FACOOG, ABIHM, decided to start her own practice in 2005, she was taken aback by the expense of malpractice insurance for obstetrics. At $150,000-$200,000 per year, the cost was too high for her to be able to continue delivering babies. Since then, it’s increased to as much as $226,000 (or more) per year in some parts of the country.
Someone else had always paid for her malpractice insurance, said Fromberg, who had been working as an Ob/Gyn at a hospital in rural Up...

For older adults, deciding where to live can be challenging and overwhelming. Each type of senior housing offers different pros and cons. Plus, recent headlines have highlighted financial struggles at some communities, painting a bleak picture of the options.
But quality choices abound — if you can put in some legwork to find them.
For help, consider working with a geriatric care manager (also called an aging life care professional), said Debra Whitman, the chief public policy officer at AARP...

Here’s how the pros use Target, Ikea and other budget chains, even on high-end projects.
October 2, 2025 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
The next time you’re trawling the aisles of your local HomeGoods, you just might run into a pro, like Robin Gannon of Robin Gannon Interiors in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Even in my highest-budget projects, everyone is always looking to save,” she said. “Clients might not mind spending money on a sofa, but does the side table really have to cost $3,000? No, it doesn’t.”

During her residency in emergency medicine, Archana Shrestha, MD, MS, would fall asleep at stoplights on the drive home after night shifts.
“It happened a few times,” she recalled. “It was scary; I didn’t feel safe driving.” To power through night shifts, Shrestha snuck in 2-hour naps beforehand.
And maybe you’ve heard something like this from a senior physician: “If you see a chair, sit in it. If you see a bed, sleep in it. If you see food, eat it. That’s how you survive residency.”
Elsa Ala...

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Spotlight on Little Falls
BY DINA CHENEY
Acclaimed New Jersey chef, Robbie Felice, spent years cooking around the world. But he couldn’t shake a craving for the breakfast sandwiches he’d grown up eating during his childhood here. It was those sandwiches (plus a longing to live near friends and family) that led him to return when he opened his restaurants: Viaggio (Wayne), Osteria Crescendo and Bar Mutz (Westwood), and PastaRamen (Montclair).
Felice is not alone. Several noteworth...

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NJ Arts Take Center Stage
BY DINA CHENEY
From the iconic Atlantic City boardwalk to neon-lit diners, full-service gas stations, and those famously quirky jughandles, the Garden State is anything but ordinary. Where else can you find Victorian seaside charm, deep fried boardwalk indulgence, and a street festival on any given weekend? If you need a reminder of why New Jersey is proudly one-of-a-kind, start with these destinations and experiences.
Go on a diner crawl: New Jersey is ...

Years ago, during medical school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Robert M. Arnold, MD, learned to call patients “Mr” or “Ms” followed by their last names.
However, recently, Arnold, now 67 years old, noticed his colleagues from Generation Z asking patients to call them by their first names.
Gen Z clinicians, born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, “are more self-revelatory than I was trained to be or am comfortable being as a clinician,” said Arnold, vice chair for professional...