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Wednesday, June 30, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Avian anxiety alienates, annoys associates Dear Annie: I am a 14- year-old girl who suffers from ornithophobia, which is a fear of birds. I have researched how to over- come it. One website listed steps to follow, and I did all of them except the last one, which said to go to a place where there are birds and learn not to freak out. I have an opportunity to do this every day, but when the birds come close, I run away. niques and treatments to help you overcome your fear. Look into the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (adaa.org) at 8730 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar I don’t mind having this irra- tional fear, but my friends do. They constantly tell me it is stupid, and they are embarrassed to be around me when birds fly by. I know they complain about my phobia to other people. They say, ‘‘Just get over it. It’s not a big deal.’’ It hurts when they say these things. They have no idea what it feels like. I have tried to explain, but they roll their eyes. I want them to understand and calm me down when I panic. Annie, I am so stressed by this problem. I have talked to school counselors, my mother and other people, but nothing seems to help. — Help Needed Dear Help: Ask your friends whether they would be as derisive if you were afraid of snakes or spi- ders. Fear of birds falls into the same category, but because birds are so abundant and seem so innocuous (Hitchcock notwith- standing), most people don’t under- stand the problem. There are tech- Dear Annie: My older sister is 63 and has multiple medical problems that cause intense pain. Her doctors have told her to stop smok- ing and drinking, but she hasn’t been able to. She can- not work and recently became eligible for disability bene- fits, which puts her above the limit for receiving Medicaid but isn’t enough to cover her high medical bills. She has to wait another two years to get Medicare. I have plenty of money and have been helping her out, but people tell me I am only enabling her to con- tinue to smoke and drink. My friends in Al-Anon tell me she’ll never stop unless I cut the cord. But if I stop, she’ll probably lose her apartment. I cannot bring myself to do this, especially knowing how much pain she endures. Is this a ‘‘tough love’’ situation, or would I only be sentencing her to a miser- able life on the streets? — Dis- tressed Sister Dear Distressed: Your sister could be depressed. It’s also possi- ble her pain medication is not doing the job. She may be relying on other forms of self- medication to get through the day, so please suggest she talk to her doctor about this. Are the drinking and the smoking the cause of her health problems? Does she get drunk and put herself in jeopardy? Determine how nega- tively her addictions are affecting her, as well as you, and consider whether pulling the rug out will help her in the long run. Then we recom- mend making the decision that best allows you to sleep at night. Dear Annie: ‘‘Help’’ said her husband never closes cabinet doors and asked if anyone else had this problem. Yes. Big time. Not only does my husband leave doors open, but he leaves the cap off the toothpaste and the top off the orange juice (so that it flies all over when I shake it), fails to close cheese packages, loaves of bread and cereal boxes, and leaves all the lights on. Last week, he even left the hot water running in the sink. I call this condition ‘‘failure to com- plete.’’ — Hamden, Conn. Dear Hamden: Leaving the hot water running can be dangerous, as well as expensive. If your husband’s ‘‘failure’’ is getting worse, you might suggest he see a doctor just in case something more is going on. 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. Tehama County Memories released The 2010 edition of the Tehama County Memo- ries, published annually since 1983 by the Tehama County Genealogical and Historical Society, will be available for purchase after Thursday. Members who have not already received their copy will get it by mail shortly. This edition has 100 pages and includes 13 articles on a wide variety of subjects. These range from the historically prominent Fickert family, who came to Red Bluff in 1861 and owned various businesses here for nearly 100 years, to the hair-rais- ing experiences of young Bus Cutler as he helped build Ponderosa Way for the CCC in 1934. The new authors this year include "Rock" McClellan, Brian Cleghom, Mary Louise (Lander) Bedford, Chuck Schoendienst, Ruth Duval Holmes, Charles Stone, Judge Curtis Wetter and Donald Houghton. Returning authors are Mary Lee Grimes, Gene Serr, G. Alice Jackson and Opal Mendenhall. Jackson is the editor. Among the many nuggets of local history to be found in the book are: • Babette Fickert Dow- ell (1920-2001), who grew up in Red Bluff and returned with her hus- band. Art Dowell, to retire in 1990, became a well- known artist. Her work was displayed at the Crocker Art Gallery and Pasadena Art Institute among other places. Many of her paintings depicted the rolling foothills and oaks of Tehama County. • There at least 72 known emigrant diaries written on the Lassen Trail, which ended at Fibromyalgia, a real pain DEAR DR. GOTT: After severe back pain and many different meds and treat- ments, I was diag- nosed with fibromyalgia. I took Cymbalta, which helped but it made me lethargic and depressed. I’m now taking Cele- brex, which helped for a while, but now the pain in my lower back and hips is so bad that I cannot lie on my side. I am ready to give up. Do you have advice? Dr. Peter Gott any DEAR READER: The pain of fibromyalgia is widespread and can be felt throughout the body. Symptoms vary from per- son to person and can include joint stiffness, sleep disorders, fatigue, widespread pain and a great deal more. Herein lies the problem, because every symptom can be tied in to other disorders, mak- ing it difficult to diagnose. There is no X-ray test- ing or laboratory work to confirm or rule out fibromyalgia. Rather, the history a patient presents to his or her physician, coupled with a hands-on examination, will likely tell the story. Treatment commonly Lassen's Ranch in what became Tehama County. Quotes from several of these, written in the coun- ty in 1849-50, appear in the article "Seeing the Elephant." • The only alcalde (judge, under Mexican rule) elected in Tehama County was Captain J.D. Potts, who came here in 1849 via the Lassen Trail and served as alcalde until California's statehood in November 1850. Potts was elected Public Administrator for the county in 1861 and served for two years. • One of the oldest family cemeteries in the county is the Freeman cemetery located on pri- vate land near Hen- leyville. There are only four graves, with death dates from 1861 to 1873. • There were six differ- ent surveys made of Red Bluff in 1850-53, and no two were the same. A problem in those days were pigs wandering the streets. The public may pur- chase copies of the Mem- ories from the society for $10 at the Wednesday evening Farmers Markets in Red Bluff. Individual memberships in the soci- ety are $15 per year, which includes the Mem- ories and the bimonthly newsletter. The Memories will be available at the Tehama Double diplomas: 2 NY schools, 19 sets of twins BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — People attending graduation cere- monies at a pair of upstate New York high schools couldn’t be blamed for thinking they were seeing double. Twelve sets of twins graduated from Baker High School in Bald- winsville on Sunday, the same day seven sets of twins received their diplomas during ceremonies at nearby Jamesville-DeWitt High School in the Syracuse area. Representatives from Guinness World Records say Baker High’s grad- uating class with 12 sets of twins breaks the previous record of 10, set by a Massachusetts high school in 2007. Principal Joseph DeBarbieri, him- self a twin, says four of his school’s sets of twins plan to attend the same college as their sibling. County Museum in Tehama, Corning Muse- um, and Facts and Fic- tions bookstore in Red Bluff. begins with over-the- counter remedies such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen sodium, advanc- ing to prescription med- ications such as gabapentin, tricyclic anti- depressants, SSRIs (selec- tive serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and narcotics. The downside to narcotics is their addictive qualities, which appear to control one condition while replacing it with another damaging one. Physical therapy and an exercise program might be an appropriate addition to more conservative meth- ods. Water aerobics, deep breathing exercises, mas- sage, chiropractic manipu- lation, acupuncture, yoga and even counseling might teach a patient methods of successfully dealing with the constant pain. There are options. Therefore, it is important that you enlist the services of a physician well versed in the treat- ment of fibromyalgia. Don’t give up. The condi- tion is an unpleasant, exhausting one but there is help. To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Fibromyalgia.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self- addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wick- liffe, OH 44092- 0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com. DEAR DR. GOTT: I’ve been diagnosed with asth- ma, bronchiectasis, lupus and fibromyalgia. I’ve had a chronic cough, and no one can find out where it’s coming from. I have no energy. I just want to take a nap all the time and eat. I’ve gained weight and can say I’m getting closer to being depressed as opposed to being just unhappy. Any ideas for me to check out? DEAR READER: Yes. Initially, you should request a referral to a rheumatologist. Lupus, a serious inflammatory autoimmune disorder, can affect the joints, kidneys, lungs and several other parts of the body. Many of the symptoms, such as fatigue, joint pain, anxiety, depression and variations in weight, cross over to those of fibromyalgia. Therefore, you should con- firm that you do suffer from both conditions. You should also be under the care of a pulmo- nologist for control of your chronic cough, asth- ma and bronchiectasis. The cough could be med- ication-induced or a result of your asthma. In order to determine what triggers your attacks, it may be necessary for you to undergo testing and to see several other specialists. This may appear daunting but once your textbook complaints of fibromyal- gia are better controlled, you will then be able to lift your veil of depression and get on with your life. There is help. The fact that you have written to me is a genuine indication you are ready to get to the bottom of things. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com.