Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/16439
Saturday, September 18, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Selfish siblings surlily select soccer Dear Annie: I am writ- ing about my 18-year-old son, ‘‘Jacob,’’ who is blind. He is a bright, intelligent young man who lives on his computer. All his friends are visually impaired. The few people he knows at school don’t socialize with him outside of class. All his other friends are only online. I have watched him go from being an outgoing person to becoming a with- drawn young man. Jacob would like to get a job, but there aren’t many people willing to take a chance on a blind teenager. I thought he might be able to volun- teer, but where does he start? We live in an area without bus service, and there is no way for him to get anywhere during the day. I can’t drive him because I’m a single mother and take public transporta- tion myself. I contacted an associa- tion for the blind, and they were no help. What do other families do? — Concerned Mom in Pennsylvania Dear Mom: The American familyconnect.org. We hope at least one of these wonder- ful organizations can help you and your son. Dear Annie: I come from Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar a large family. Between birthdays, religious holidays and graduations, there are lots of family events. My family and I always make an effort to attend these mile- stones, sometimes traveling six hours or more. The problem is, when I host similar events for my two children, my relatives feel their attendance is optional. If one of their kids has a soccer game, they don’t bother to come. My kids are just as busy as theirs, but we make it a pri- ority to celebrate major occasions such as a high school graduation. We feel it is important to get to know one’s extended family, includ- ing grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Foundation for the Blind (afb.org) and the National Industries for the Blind (nib.org) have information about county associations, as well as job training and employment oppor- tunities for the visually impaired. The Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (pablind.org) has links to local organizations, and you can ask Jacob’s ophthalmologist for guid- ance. The American Foundation for the Blind also offers support for families through their website at Three siblings and most of my nieces and nephews didn’t attend my daughter’s high school gradua- tion because of minor sporting activ- ities. My 26-year-old niece told me she couldn’t take time off from work, yet a week later, managed to take two days off to visit her uncle’s vacation home. I have had only two major events for my kids in the past 18 years, but it seems my family members come only if nothing better is going on. I am hurt by this, but my siblings say I am too sensitive. Should I be teaching my children that a weekend soccer game is more important than celebrating our family members’ special times? — Last Resort Sib- ling Dear Sibling: Relatives consider some events more important than others — a high school graduation might strike them as meaningful only to the parents, but they would- n’t dream of skipping your child’s wedding. And in a large family, it is difficult to attend everything. We think it’s wonderful that you show up for all these events, but it is unre- alistic to expect your siblings to do the same. Please let it go. Dear Annie: I would like to add my thoughts to the discussion of taking photos of a deceased person. My father died last year. I was only 29, and it was deeply traumatic for me. I chose to take a few discreet photos of him in his casket. I cannot imagine ever wanting to go back and look at them, but I also realized I wouldn’t have a second chance if I changed my mind. There were only a few family members present when I took the photos, and I explained my reason- ing to them. No one raised any objections. Seventeen months later, I have no regrets. — Cleveland, Tenn. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Hospital donates to medical waste collection With over 5,000,000 needles and lancets collected in Tehama County alone since 2008, the Tehama County Medical Waste Sharps Collection Program is thriving as a result of a unique partnership between the Tehama County Sanitary Landfill Agency and St. Elizabeth Community Hospital. St. Elizabeth Community Hospi- tal donated $2,500 from its community benefit program to support the Tehama County Medical Waste Sharps Collection Program for fiscal year 2010/2011. The donation will be used to purchase 1,500 medically approved collection containers for home–generated sharps users to collect their sharps. About 3,000 con- tainers are purchased each year to support the program. Sr. Pat Manoli, director of Mission Integration for St. Elizabeth Community Hospital explains, "Partnering with Tehama County Sanitary Landfill Agency for the sharps collection program is an important component of our diabetes education and support efforts. The St. Elizabeth team is dedicated to the health and safety of the entire community and we are proud to be able to assist in this effort." The containers are available free of charge at the fol- lowing locations: Red Bluff- Tehama County Health Services Agency Outpatient Clinic, St. Elizabeth Hospital (front desk), Tehama County/Red Bluff Landfill, Big Foot Recy- cling Center Antelope Blvd., Corning- Tehama County Health Services Agency Rancho Tehama- Rancho Tehama Transfer Station Once full, the collection containers are accepted at the following kiosk locations: • Bowman Road Fire Station, 18355 Bowman Rd., Cottonwood • Rob’s Recycling, 7949 Highway 99E, Los Molinos Bluff • Big Foot Recycling, 460 Antelope Blvd., Red • St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Campus Corning 2550 Sr. Mary Columba, Red Bluff (in front of the Coyne Cen- ter) • Corning Health Care District, 145 Solano Street., • Corning HHW Facility 99W, Corning • Corning Fire Department, 814 5th Street, Corning • Tehama County/Red Bluff Landfill, 19995 Plymire Rd., Red Bluff • Tehama County Complex, Walnut St Complex, Red Bluff • Rancho Tehama Transfer Station, 17605 Park Ter- race, Rancho Tehama Since 2008 it has been against the law for a person to place home-generated medical waste sharps into any container used to collect solid waste. Sharps pose a risk to landfill and waste hauling employees. No local workers have been infected, but incidents have been reported elsewhere in California. “Community response to the medical waste sharps collection program is immense,” said Kristina Miller, Landfill Agency manager. “Sharps users appreciate a safe, convenient, and free method to dispose of their needles and lancets.” As part of the program, residents must place their sharps into a medical sharps container and then place the sharps container into the kiosk. For more information please call the Tehama Coun- ty/ Red Bluff Landfill at 528-1103 or visit www.tehamacountylandfill.com. Chico Canine Carnival set for Sunday CHICO — The third annual Chico Canine Carnival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 19, at Community Park in Chico, near Highway 99 and E. 20th St. Don’t miss this fun-filled day of activities and education for dogs and the people who love them. Admission is free, but all own- ers must register their dogs at the entrance. Gates open at 9 a.m., contests and games begin at 10 a.m., and the event concludes at 3 p.m. A variety of contests, demon- strations, activities and services will be offered at the Carnival this year, including: rally and obstacle courses, Canine Good Citizen certification, and low cost microchipping. A costume contest and parade will start at noon with special guest judges Rob Blair and Megan McDonald. You will also have the opportunity to enter your four-legged prince or princess in one of two beauty contests with a chance at the end of the day for the title of King & Queen of the Chico Canine Car- nival. See a police dog demo, get advice from professional trainers and groomers, go shopping for dog-related products, and meet adoptable dogs from local shel- ters and rescues. If you don’t have a dog and wish to partici- pate in the activities, rent a friend from Butte Humane Society and participate in all contests and games for free! For a complete list of contests, activities, and participants, visit www.buttehumane.org. This event is a collaboration with Butte Humane Society, Butte County Kennel Club, and the ISCCD. All proceeds from the Carnival will benefit Butte Humane Society Spay and Neuter Program. , 3281 Highway Newest diet fad should be avoided DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been reading about a diet using hCG drops on Facebook. Appar- ently, three drops under the tongue three times a day rids you of hunger pain, and then you only eat 500 calo- ries a day for a month with a loss of 30 pounds a month. What do you know about this drug? DEAR READER: This This diet isn’t Dr. Peter Gott diet fad frightens me. First, hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is an FDA-approved pre- scription-only drug for fer- tility. HCG is a hormone present in pregnant women’s urine and was first discovered in 1927. To this day, physicians look for this hormone to deter- mine pregnancy. Levels peak at around 14 weeks’ gestation and then drop off for the remainder of the pregnancy. It is known that hCG plays many roles, including guaranteeing that a devel- oping fetus receives the calories and nutrients it needs to grow. It is able to do this by releasing fat from the hips, buttocks, abdomen and thighs to give the devel- oping fetus the nutrients it needs. In terms of the hCG diet, the dieter must find a physi- cian willing to prescribe the medication. Next, follow- ing a 26- to 43-day cycle, the user must inject the medication once a day for 23 to 40 straight days, skip- ping the last three days of the cycle. Some physicians also prescribe appetite sup- pressants. This is because the daily caloric intake while using the drug for the purpose of weight loss is 500. That is one-quarter of the normal recommended daily caloric intake. Following the cycle, the hCG must then be discon- tinued for at least six weeks because the body will develop temporary immu- nity. The process may then be started all over again, for a total of no more than four cycles, including breaks. Now, to the reasons I oppose this diet. Any diet that restricts caloric intake to 500 calories a day is going to cause weight loss whether or not there is a medication or supplement involved. The reason for the weight loss is starvation. The body can survive on drastically reduced calories for a time, but it will lead to some serious complica- tions. Also, given that hCG is a naturally occurring preg- nancy hormone, it can lead to symptoms of pregnancy, such as swollen, tender breasts and water retention. There are also reports of health problems resulting from the diet, including increased risk of blood clots, depression, restless- ness and headaches. covered under insurance. The injection itself costs about $10. Multiply that by the number of days you need the injec- tion, that’s between $230 and $400. Add that to the consultation that can typically cost $150 or more, and one cycle can cost in excess of $400. Finally, the studies. A physician’s initial “discov- ery” and published findings of hCG’s ability to aid weight loss have not held up to scrutiny. Subsequent studies found that there was no weight loss difference between people using hCG and those taking a placebo along with the required calorie cuts. One study even found that both groups experienced “major hunger pangs” throughout the treatment. Any person who pur- chases hCG over the Inter- net or without a prescrip- tion probably isn’t getting what he or she paid for. In the end, this diet is just another unhealthful fad. You would be better off following my no-flour, no- sugar diet and getting regu- lar exercise. DEAR DR. GOTT: With flu season just around the corner, I wonder what the recommendation is this year for getting a shot. With three young children to care for, I cannot afford to be sick, but I really hate to subject my body to unnec- essary shots if I don’t need them. DEAR READER: It’s rather fortuitous that your inquiry reached me today — the same time I received a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services on this very subject. As might be expected, everyone six months or older is urged to receive the vaccine when it becomes available. This year’s will include the 2009 H1N1 strain as part of the regular seasonal vaccine. While there were concerns last year regarding H1N1, we are assured that seasonal flu shots have an excellent safety record. People in high-risk cate- gories are strongly urged to be immunized. This includes people diagnosed with chronic conditions, diabetes, asthma, pregnant women and those working in the health care profes- sion. Continue to wash your hands on a regular basis, avoid surrounding yourself with ill people who are coughing and sneezing, keep commonly touched or used items clean, eat healthful meals, get ade- quate sleep and exercise regularly. To stay up to date, visit www.flu.gov for the latest information available. Fall Sale Last 3 days September 17, 18, 19th Pottery 30% off Glazed Garden Center Red Bluff 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) 527-0886