Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/144172
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 – Daily News Distant grandma feeling ignored Do I continue Dear Annie: to travel all these After my bitter miles for this type divorce, my son of abuse, or do I decided to live go only when I with his father in can afford a hotel another state. I and car rental? have spent thouThey seem to sands of dollars on have busy lives airplane tickets, hotels, car rentals Annie's and make no time for this grandma. and restaurants. I — I Have Feelhave never forgotings, Too. ten my two grandby Kathy Mitchell Dear Feelings: children's birth- and Marcy Sugar It's difficult to be days. Here's the rub: To save the grandparent who lives money, I have traveled far away. It's expensive to alone and stayed with my travel, so those visits are son. Recently, I stayed for infrequent. It takes effort four days. After traveling to maintain a close rela1,000 miles, I spent two tionship, and it sounds as hours in a shuttle because if your son and his wife my son did not pick me up prefer not to extend themat the airport as promised. selves, which is sad. You When I arrived at their don't have to travel more house, there was nothing often than you can afford, to eat. I had to ask my son and be sure to invite your to make something, as I do son and his family to visit not feel comfortable in you, as well. Then find their kitchen. My grand- other ways to stay in son gave up his bed for touch with the grandchilme, and the room was a dren — Facebook, email, mess (to say the least). His texting, Skype, letters and bathroom sink and tub phone calls. They need to were clogged, and my know you better. Dear Annie: I have daughter-in-law expected me to clean them. I also learned that a college prohad to ask for fresh towels. fessor at a major universiOn one of the four ty in my area uses obscennights, they left me alone ities while teaching his while my daughter-in-law classes. He screams these went to a concert with her diatribes at the students girlfriends and stayed every day during his lecovernight, my grandchil- tures. I saw a video of one dren had sleepovers, and of his classes and think my son went to a bar (he the university should be is a hardworking alco- informed. This is not how our young people should holic). When my granddaugh- be taught. Should I report him to ter showed me her 8th grade graduation book, someone? Who? — Frusshe talked about her lov- trated Alumnus Dear Frustrated: If ing family and mentioned her grandparents on her you think this professor's ''technique'' mom's side. (They live teaching close.) She never once poorly represents the unimentioned my husband or versity, by all means say something to the dean of me. Mailbox his department or the president of the university. Suggest they look into his videos. But understand that it's up to the university to determine what action is taken, if any. Dear Annie: I am writing in response to the letter from ''Loveless and Discouraged,'' who went through a program for sex addiction and was discouraged that his wife still does not trust him. Good for the husband for trying to save his marriage, but I'd like to explain his wife's side of things. I was married for 28 years to a sex addict who tried therapy, relapsed many times and eventually gave up. I wonder whether ''Loveless'' realizes the intense emotional damage done to a wife who has been repeatedly lied to and cheated on. She needs more time than he expects to focus on herself and to rebuild intimacy. Has he truly apologized? Has he tried to see this through her eyes? Has he been willing to take tests for STDs to reassure her that her health is not in danger? What is he doing to make sure this never happens again? — Been There Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.n et, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Promising discovery could lead to new diabetes treatment amount — then the body probaDEAR DOCTOR K: I have bly had chemical signals that diabetes. I read that scientists had drove the process. He began to made a major discovery about search for them. how people with diabetes could In early May 2013, Dr. naturally make more insulin. Melton reported in the prestiHow excited should I be about gious scientific journal Cell that this? his research team had indeed DEAR READER: I believe found such a chemical signal, a you are referring to a discovery Dr. K hormone, in mice. The hormone by the laboratory of a colleague by Anthony L. is made in the liver and in fat, here at Harvard, Dr. Douglas Komaroff, M.D. and travels through the blood to Melton. It's a great story. the pancreas. It is able to coax an About 20 years ago, Dr. Melton was a young scientist who was old, burned-out pancreas to make lots of studying the basic biology of how cells new young beta cells. In mice with diawork. He wasn't focusing on any partic- betes, the treatment caused a dramatic ular disease. Then his infant son devel- improvement in blood sugar. Dr. Melton named the hormone that he discovered oped severe Type 1 diabetes. That's a disease in which the body's betatrophin. It will, of course, take much more immune system attacks the pancreas, a spongy little organ inside the abdomen. research in mice and then in humans to The attack destroys the pancreas cells determine if this newly discovered horthat produce insulin, called beta cells. As mone can serve as a treatment for human a result, the body does not have enough diabetes. So, to answer your question, insulin, the hormone that directs blood it's too soon to get excited. Still, this is just the latest example of sugar — our body's main source of energy — into our cells. Sugar levels rise in an even larger scientific discovery that the blood, and the body's cells don't get has played out over the past 20 years. The human body has much greater power enough energy. Prompted by his son's illness, Dr. to repair itself naturally than we once Melton turned the focus of his scientific imagined. Scientists just need to discovwork to trying to cure diabetes. First, he er a few tricks to help stimulate the and other scientists discovered, to their body's own natural healing, as in this surprise, some good news and some bad case. To transform this important discovery news. The good news: The pancreas did have a way of making new beta cells. into a new treatment for diabetes we The old cells could divide, forming need more medical research. Encourage young beta cells. The bad news: The your members of Congress to push for pancreas didn't seem able to produce more funding. new beta cells in nearly sufficient Dr. Komaroff is a physician and amounts to make up for the cells killed professor at Harvard Medical School. To by diabetes. Undiscouraged, Dr. Melton reasoned send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, that if older beta cells could be prompted or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., to make new young beta cells — in any Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. Matthews fans meet him in need of ride HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — A fan on her way to a Dave Matthews concert in Pennsylvania pulled over to help a stranded bicyclist who turned out to be none other than the singer himself. Emily Kraus and her boyfriend pulled over Saturday to give a ride to a man whose bike had apparently broken down, she told WHP-TV in Harrisburg. They realized it was Matthews, who didn't have a cellphone on him to call for help. They helped him stow his bicycle on their bike rack and he got in their car for the rest of the ride. ''We didn't know how to make conversation with him, in fact, so we were talking about his tour and where he had come from,'' Kraus said. ''He had just been in Cincinnati and he said, 'I'm taking a short break after this one because I have to drop my daughters off at camp.' ... He was just a very humble guy.'' He invited them to dinner, took them backstage and got them frontrow seats. Kraus said she woke up the next morning still amazed at what had happened. ''I rolled over and I said, 'OK, yeah that really happened yesterday,''' she said with a laugh, recalling that Matthews autographed their concert tickets and thanked them for the ride. ''It was surreal. We couldn't believe it.'' 3B