Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/31207
Monday, May 9, 2011 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Surgical sibling’s sight scares sister Dear Annie: I’m wor- ried about my younger sis- ter, ‘‘Louise.’’ I recently retired, and Louise will be eligible to retire in four years. She is a full-time operating-room nurse who is required to rotate being on call at night. The problem is that Louise’s night vision has become terrible this past year. Her optometrist says that it will undoubtedly get worse the older she gets. Every time my phone rings at night, I fear it’s someone calling to say Louise was killed in a car accident on her way to the O.R. She’s already had a few near-misses. Louise has spoken to her super- visor about this, but their policy is ‘‘take it or leave it.’’ If she quits, she’ll lose a significant portion of her hard-earned retirement money. Louise means the world to me. I Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar tive is to provide transporta- tion on those nights when she is on call. Can a friend or relative drive her? Are there trains or buses? Can she carpool with another staffer or work out an arrangement with a taxi company? Please look into all the possibilities. Dear Annie: Mother’s Day has come and gone. My mother canceled our plans, so I went out for dinner with my husband and daughter. I paid the bill. I did not get a card or a gift from either of them — and it’s not the first time. always assumed our families would grow old together, but now I’m gen- uinely concerned for her safety. Maybe if her supervisor reads this in the paper, he will be more under- standing and accommodating of their experienced, long-time senior nurses who simply cannot drive at night anymore. — Scared Sister Dear Sister: It might help if Louise brings her supervisor a doc- tor’s note saying she is visually impaired at night. Another alterna- In much of the U.S., May is peak migration month. Birds of every kind – songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds – fly from their winter homes in the south to their summer breeding grounds in places as far north as the Arctic. Along the way they encounter many perils including bright lights and tall build- ings, cats and toxic lawns. Fortunately, people can help ensure a safer journey for migrating birds. Back- yards and parks, often key stopover points for many species, can become bird- friendly rest stops with a few simple steps. Audubon urges people to take the following actions this spring: 1) Reduce or eliminate pesticide and herbicide use. Using fewer chemi- cals in your yard and home helps keep wildlife, pets and people healthy. Learn more at athome.audubon.org/elim- inate-or-reduce-pesticide- use 2) Plant native plants. Natives provide birds with food in the form of fruit and seeds, and are also home to tasty invertebrates like bugs and spiders. Learn more at athome.audubon.org/plant -native-species 3) Keep cats inside. Keeping cats indoors ensures that birds outdoors stay safe and cats benefit too; indoor cats live much longer than cats that go outside. Learn more at audubon.org/bird/at_home /SafeCats.html 4) Prevent window col- lisions. Make sure birds can see (and avoid) your windows by putting up screens, closing drapes and blinds when you leave the house, or stick multiple decals on the glass (decals need to be spaced closely together to be effective - no more than two to four inch- es apart). Learn more at audubon.org/bird/at_home /SafeWindows.html 5) Provide cover in your backyard. Leave snags for US Fish and Wildlife Service photo nesting places and stack downed tree limbs to cre- ate a brush pile, which is a great source of cover for birds during bad weather. Learn more at web4.audubon.org/bird/at _home/HealthyYard_Bird- Habitat.html 6) Help birds stay on course. Close your blinds at night and turn off lights you aren’t using. Some birds use constellations to guide them on their annual migrations, and bright lights can disrupt them. Learn more at web4.audubon.org/bird/at _home/SafeIMpact.html 7) Create or protect water sources in your yard. Birds need water to drink and bathe in, just like we do. Be sure to change the water two to three times per week when mosquitoes are breeding. Learn more at web4.audubon.org/bird/at _home/HealthyYard_ BirdHabitat.html 8) Landscape for birds. Use lots of layers, includ- ing understory, ground cover, shrubs, and trees. Multiple levels of plants let birds use different layers for different purposes, such as nesting, feeding, and singing. Learn more at web4.audubon.org/bird/ at_home/HealthyYard_Ga rdenBasics.html 9) Extend a bird safety net beyond your backyard. Contact your local Audubon Chapter to learn about opportunities to cre- ate healthy habitat in parks, beaches and other places in your community. Find your Audubon Chap- ter at www.audubon.org/search- by-zip 10) Take the Audubon At Home Healthy Yard Pledge! When you take the Pledge, you commit to conserving water, planting native species, removing invasive plants, reducing pesticide use, protecting water quality, and keeping birds safe in your yard. Take the pledge at audubonathome.org/pledg e. Find many more ideas at AtHome.Audubon.org and www.facebook.com/Audu bonAtHome. Show Us Your AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE CELEBRATING 25 YEARS 1985 - 2009 May 13th is Show us Your Hope Day! Wouldn’t life be better if everything was purple? We think so! That’s why on May 13th, the Red Bluff community will be turning purple! Decorate your store, office, and restaurant and wear purple on May 13th. Join the celebration in support of Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society’s largest event and the world’s biggest fundraiser with more than 3 million participants. During this overnight community event, teams walk around a track, relay style, to raise funds, celebrate survivorship, and remember those lost to cancer. Relay For Life of RED BLUFF May 21 & 22, 2011 Vista School – 1770 S. Jackson Street 9 am Opening Ceremonies 10 am - 6 pm Cut your hair for a donation to Pantene Beautiful Lengths • MEN • WOMEN • CHILDREN AFFORDABLE • CONVENIENT $1000 $1000 With coupon, Regularly $12 (Expires 6/30/11) FREE HELIUM BALLOONS 530-529-5766 855 So. Main St. (Walmart Shopping Center) • Donated hair must be a minimum of 6 to 8 inches long and hair should be freshly washed and completely dry, without any styling products. • Creating a real-hair wig takes approximately three to four months, and each wig requires at least six ponytails to make. As Pantene Beautiful Lengths wigs are created, they are distributed for free through select American Cancer Society wig banks across the country. 9 pm Luminaria Ceremony Contact: Debbie O’Connor, Chair (relaytrailboss@gmail.com) Published through a project co-sponsorship agreement with D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY My daughter is 21 and a mother herself. It hurts my feelings that they care so little about me. I’m a nice person, the kind who lets oth- ers into traffic and throws parties for my friends on their birthdays. Our 25th wedding anniversary is coming up, and I know I will be dis- appointed. For our 20th, I asked my husband if he would replace the engagement ring I lost. I gave him two years’ notice and got a card instead. This man does not have a romantic bone in his body. It would be nice if he put some kind of thought into one of these occasions. Any suggestions? — Neglected Dear Neglected: It will help if you stop expecting your husband to be what he is not. You will only remain frustrated by hitting your head against the same wall. Since romance is important to you, we suggest you take the lead and make the plans for your 25th anniversary. He’ll probably be relieved, and you’ll get what you want. Dear Annie: ‘‘Worried Step- mom’’ said her husband wants to give his children equal amounts of money as gifts. However, her 33- year-old stepson, ‘‘Clark,’’ isn’t motivated to work, and she worries he’ll misuse the funds. Her husband can still make gifts to a number of accounts that restrict Clark’s ability to spend the money. An alternative to an IRA would be an annuity that acts like an IRA for tax deferral, but restricts with- drawals until age 59 and a half, the same as an IRA. They could also set up a trust, using insurance or other vehicles to restrict access until the future. Please advise her to speak with a financial professional who is well versed in wealth preservation. — Financial Adviser in Baltimore, Md. 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. Audubon offers tips to help migrating birds Fructose intolerance potentially deadly DEAR DR. GOTT: Do you have any informa- tion on fructose intolerance? I have been able to find only one book related to the prob- lem. Thank you. DEAR READ- ER: Fructose intol- erance, commonly known as heredi- tary fructose intolerance (HFI), is a genetic disorder in which the body is unable to break down fructose and some other sugars. It is known as an autosomal recessive disorder, which means that in order to be affected, each parent must have the mutation and pass it on to the child. If only one copy is passed on, the child will be a carrier but will not be affected. Dr. Peter Gott diet. This abnormal gene results in the body missing the enzyme fructose-1- phosphate aldolase, which is responsible for changing glycogen into glucose, which the body uses for energy. Without it, fruc- tose-1-phosphate will build up in the small intestine, liver and kidneys. Follow- ing ingestion of fructose, sucrose and sorbitol (a sugar alcohol), the body’s blood-glucose levels will drop, causing hypo- glycemia. Severe abdomi- nal pain and vomiting may also occur. Other symptoms include excessive sleepiness, jaun- dice, irritability, convul- sions and more. Sufferers develop a distaste for sweet foods. Liver and kidney damage can occur, and may result in organ failure or death, so strict avoidance of all foods and drinks con- taining fructose and other sugars metabolized by fruc- tose-1-phosphate aldolase is vital. Fructose intolerance can sometimes be confused with fructose malabsorp- tion, which is not life threatening but is more common. Fructose malab- sorption can cause abdomi- nal pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea but does not result in the liver or kidney dam- age. However, treatment for both conditions is the same. The most important aspect of management is avoidance of all sources of fructose, sucrose and sor- bitol, including fruits, fruit juices, table sugar, sodas, powdered sugar, sports drinks, honey, high-fruc- Boston University has an entire lab dedicated to the research of HFI and aldolase. It offers informa- tion about the condition, diagnosis, treatment, HFI- specific diets and research. There is also a support group, but it only accepts patients with medical- record confirmation of diagnosis. They say this is because while other sup- port groups exist, many contain information for suf- ferers of fructose malab- sorption, benign sugar intolerance and more that may not be applicable to HFI. If you are interested in joining the support group, you can apply online at www.bu.edu/aldolase/dis- claim/disclaim.html. Oth- ers who are simply interest- ed in learning more about HFI can visit www.bu.edu/aldolase/HFI/ FAQ.html or www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub medhealth/PMH0001399. DEAR DR. GOTT: Do you know of a cure for Fordyce spots? Do you think laser treatments help? Have you heard of tretinoin cream as a cure? If you have any information on this skin disease, please help. DEAR READER: Let me start by saying Fordyce spots are not a skin dis- ease. They are normal. They are large, superficial, oil-producing glands found on mucosal sur- faces, most commonly found at the border of the corners of the lips and in the mouth at the back inner cheeks. They do not pro- duce symptoms. Treatment is usually not necessary because the spots are normal. Treatment (with mild topical steroids) may be recommended in cases when itching and irri- tation are present, which is typically the result of inap- propriate treatment. You can’t cure some- thing that isn’t a disease. If you are truly concerned, speak with a dermatologist, who will, in all likelihood, confirm what I have said. tose corn syrup and a great deal more. This can be very difficult. Consult- ing a registered dietician and read- ing labels meticu- lously will be high- ly beneficial. The dietician can help you avoid fructose and maintain a bal- anced, healthful