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4A Daily News – Friday, August 2, 2013 FEATURES Reader worries about mother's lineage her and not simply rub salt Dear Annie: I recently in her wounds. had a conversation with my Dear Annie: My mother. She mentioned that boyfriend, ''Keith,'' has she and Grandma are not worked at a retail business speaking again. She remifor 30 years. He has been nisced about how poorly friends with a female coshe has been treated by her worker for a while. ''Marla'' mother, even as a child. calls Keith on his cellphone She then mentioned how her mother donates blood Annie's every day, even though he will be at work within a frequently, saying she is a short time. At work, they universal donor, meaning O-negative. Annie, if my by Kathy Mitchell talk constantly. If he doesn't grandmother is O-negative, and Marcy Sugar work on a specific day, she calls him multiple times at it's genetically impossible for her to be my mother's biological home. I have no problem with their mom, because Mom is AB-negafriendship, except that Keith keeps tive. Family relations with that side of most of this information from me. the family are very fragile, and I am When I ask him directly about talkfairly confident that my grandmoth- ing to Marla, he denies it, even er would never tell anyone the truth though I have cellphone records as about the situation. I don't have proof. If it is only a friendship, why contacts with relatives on that side is he so secretive? There also have of the family because Grandma pro- been several occasions where we hibited it. Should I tell my mother? had plans but Keith made up excusShould I confront my grandmother? es for being late while he waited for How do I start a search looking for Marla's phone call. Keith doesn't understand my the answers on my own? — R. Dear R.: While it is not common frustration of having to wait so that for an O-negative parent to have an he can talk to his ''friend.'' And AB-negative child, it is not impossi- because he has limited minutes on ble. A lot depends on your grandfa- his cell plan, he spends most of ther's blood type and other factors. them with her, and I get fewer. Am I simply jealous, or should I Everyone involved would have to agree to be tested to know more. We be concerned about their interacrealize you don't much care for tions? — Tired of Being Second Dear Tired: Keith needs to be Grandma, but that doesn't mean she isn't biologically related to you. transparent in his dealings with Bring this up to your mother only if Marla. The secrecy and frequency you believe it would be helpful to of the contact make it suspicious, Mailbox and his excuses are a way to maintain the relationship with her at the expense of the one he has with you. It doesn't matter whether it's a flirtation, an affair or nothing. He needs to take your feelings into consideration and treat your relationship with more respect, instead of creating friction because he likes the attention from Marla. It's unfair to all of you. Dear Annie: ''Too Good of a Cook'' said she'd like to have some help with the grocery bills and cooking when her eight grown children and numerous grandchildren visit. This is what we did: Six couples were invited to spend the weekend at a friend's mountain cabin. The host specified that each couple would be responsible for cooking one meal for everyone and should bring all of the groceries required for that meal. It worked out great, and it was fun to sample everyone else's cooking. We shared the cooking cleanup and grocery expense. That way, the host could also enjoy the festivities and didn't have to spend a fortune on groceries and all of his time in the kitchen preparing meals. — Co-Op Kitchen Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Spouses have a significant benefit Social Security can be an important financial asset for married couples when the time comes to apply for retirement benefits. In many cases, one spouse may have earned significantly more than the other, or have worked for a longer span of years. Or it could be that one spouse stayed home to do the work of raising the children or caring for elderly family members while the other focused on a career. Regardless of your situation, Social Securi- ty will look at all possibilities to make sure both spouses receive the maximum benefit possible. Even if you have not paid Social Security taxes, it's likely you'll be eligible to receive benefits on your spouse's record. If you did work and pay into Social Security, we will check eligibility based on your work record and your spouse's to see which amount is higher. You can apply for spouses benefits the same way that you apply for benefits on your own record. You can apply for reduced benefits as early as age 62, or for 100 per- cent of your full retirement benefits at your "full retirement age. " You can find your full retirement age, based on your birth year, at www.socialsecurity.gov/ pubs/ageincrease.htm. The benefit amount you can receive as a spouse, if you have reached your full retirement age, can be as much as one half of your spouse's full benefit. If you opt for early retirement, your benefit may be as little as a third of your spouse's full benefit amount. If your spouse has already reached full retirement age but continues to work, your Sierra Sound By Jennifer Cooper Social Security Manager in Redding KWIK KUTS NEW & USED CD's Special Orders Avail. Car Stereo Sales - Service Installation We make house calls! 226 So. Main St., Red Bluff 527-3735 Family Hair Salon 20 % off ANY RETAIL PRODUCT with any chemical service of $50 or more 200 Regular $ Haircut off Reg. $13.95 Not good with other offers Expires 7/31/13 With coupon 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 Attention local business operators! Tehama County-Wide WED AUG 14 through SAT AUG 17 The Daily News has created discounted ad packages for these dates only to make it easy for Tehama County businesses and professionals to say THANK YOU to local shoppers for their support! Ad Deadline: Thursday, August 8 Window Posters and advance promotion of participating pusinesses in the paper, and online Contact your Daily News advertising representative today! DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY www.redbluffdailynews.com Gayla Eckels: 527-2151 x108 geckels@redbluffdailynews.com Suzy Noble: 527-2151 x103 snoble@redbluffdailynews.com spouse can apply for retirement benefits and request to have the payments suspended until as late as age 70. This would allow the worker to earn delayed retirement credits that will mean higher payments later, but would allow you to receive your spouse's benefit. You can also apply for spouse benefits based on the earnings record of an ex-spouse or deceased spouse if you were married for at least 10 years. Spouses can consider a number of options and variables. We make it easier to navigate them. A good place to start is by visiting our benefits planner at www.socialsec u r i t y. g o v / p l a n n e r s . Take note of the "Benefits As A Spouse" section. If you are ready to apply for benefits, the fastest, easiest, and most convenient way is to apply online. You can do so at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline. Whether you receive benefits on a spouse's record or your own, rest assured we will make sure you get the highest benefit we can pay you. Learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov. Link between depression and hypothyroidism sion. Here's an DEAR DOCexample: TOR K: For years I My wife and I took antidepresare friends with a sants, but they didcouple who about n't really help my 20 years ago started depression. Then a to have marital new doctor diagtroubles. She was nosed me with moody. Her hushypothyroidism. Dr. K band thought she Once I started takby Anthony L. was depressed, and ing thyroid medication, the depression Komaroff, M.D. her doctor agreed. They separated. lifted. What's the One winter evening she connection? DEAR READER: slipped on the ice and broke Hypothyroidism, or an her ankle. In the emergency underactive thyroid gland, room, the orthopedic suris one cause of depression. geon took one look at her Depression is a condition and asked, "Has your doctor caused by chemical changes ever said you have an in the brain. Surely life underactive thyroid?" He experiences can affect those did the test, confirmed his chemical changes, making suspicions, and she got the them worse or better. But at treatment she needed. The its root, depression involves couple reunited a few months later. brain chemistry. Other symptoms are The chemistry of the brain is also influenced by more typical of either the chemistry of the blood, depression or hypothysince blood circulates roidism and can help tell the throughout the brain. The two conditions apart. (I've thyroid gland, a small, but- put a table listing symptoms terfly-shaped structure that of each condition, along sits low in the neck, secretes with symptoms the two hormones that regulate the conditions share, on my body's energy. In this way, w e b s i t e , the thyroid indirectly affects AskDoctorK.com.) Hypothyroidism can be everything from muscles, bones and skin, to the diges- confirmed or ruled out with a blood test. Once diagtive tract, heart and brain. The thyroid, in turn, is nosed, it is usually treated regulated by the pituitary with a thyroid hormone pill gland. This pea-sized gland that restores thyroid horhangs down from the bot- mone levels to normal. As tom part of the brain. When in your case, depression blood levels of thyroid hor- usually subsides once you mones fall, the pituitary start taking this medication. Researchers aren't gland sends signals to the thyroid, telling it to get to entirely sure why there is a work. In response, the thy- link between hypothyroid produces two hor- roidism and depression. mones, T3 and T4. If you Clearly the low thyroid horhave hypothyroidism, how- mone levels in the blood ever, your thyroid gland affect the chemistry in the does not produce enough brain that leads to depresthyroid hormones. Blood sion. In fact, doctors somelevels of T3 and T4 remain times add thyroid medications to antidepressant low. When thyroid hormone treatment to improve mood levels are low, organs and — even in patients who internal systems slow down, have normal thyroid funccreating a wide range of tion. symptoms. Many of these Dr. Komaroff is a symptoms — depressed mood, fatigue, weight gain, physician and professor at reduced sexual desire and Harvard Medical School. To trouble concentrating — are send questions, go to also symptoms of depres- AskDoctorK.com, or write: sion. Not surprisingly, Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck hypothyroidism is often St., Second Floor, Boston, misdiagnosed as depres- MA 02115. Oh Snap! The Daily News wants your photos: Cute kids, Adorable pets, Inspirational sights, Any shot you think readers would enjoy You might just see it in the Daily News Send pictures to editor@redbluffdailynews.com or drop off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff. Include a caption.