DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 years old, and last year, I switched from drinking cola products to drinking tea, especially cold ice tea. I thought I was being a healthier and more nutrition-conscious person by doing that, but my eldest brother tells me that tea contains just as much caffeine as colas do and that tea is really bad for my health.

Did I make a mistake by making this change? Should I just keep drinking colas? I think they taste so much better than tea does. — Curious Consumer

CURIOUS CONSUMER: Medical researchers have found that 8 ounces of black or green tea a day can strengthen our immune system, which is our first line of defense against the germs that we are exposed to daily. In this era of COVID-19, we all should strive to keep our immune systems as strong and healthy as possible.

Moderation is the key, in my opinion. Go ahead and reward yourself with a cola drink once in a while, but don't make it a daily habit. Why? Regular colas are full of sugar, and diet colas have many chemicals in them to create an artificially sweet taste. And as for your brother's warning, yes, both drinks have caffeine, but a reasonable amount of tea each day is absolutely not bad for your health.

One final suggestion: Learn to drink tea without adding sugar, especially iced tea. It may take you a week or more to get used to the taste, but you'll soon adapt. And if you again wish to reward yourself once in a while, add a bit of raw honey and a touch of lemon to your cup of hot tea to break up the monotony of pure tea!

SHARING A ROOM NOT IDEAL

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 15-year-old girl who now has to share a bedroom with my little brother, who is 11 years old. I'm very unhappy because he's so noisy and restless and gross! This is now happening because our aunt and uncle and their two kids had to move in with us due to COVID-19.

I do not like this arrangement at all because I do not like sharing my room with anyone, especially my little brother.

What can I do to make sharing my room a little less horrible? Maybe there is something I could be doing to make things a little easier to deal with for as long as this situation goes on. — Unhappy Big Sister, via email

UNHAPPY BIG SISTER: This is an unusual year, and your situation is not one of a kind, even though it probably feels to you like it is. In fact, many families across our country, and even across the world, are also moving in with other family members due to very difficult financial situations related to the loss of work due to COVID-19.

Teach your younger brother that being neat and tidy is easier than being messy. Show your brother how to put away things and clean his portion of the room. To do this, you need to build in a reward system. Find out what makes your little brother tick. Once you know what he likes, find a way to reward him when he keeps up his end of the bargain with your mutual room. I would further suggest that you incorporate a parent into this plan as well. Perhaps your mother or father would talk to him to set up some sort of deal that can keep you both happy and able to tolerate another person in the same room

Try and make this temporary living arrangement as fun and happy as you possibly can. Remind yourself that this situation will eventually pass and that your little brother will hopefully soon become a bit more mature, especially since he'll benefit from your examples and guidance!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: fancycrave1 at Pixabay