Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/155907
Wednesday, August 21, 2013 – Daily News 3B FEATURES Noisy neighbors driving couple up wall Adequate magnesium practice the kind of parentDear Annie: My husing you did. band and I are teachers and Why not approach them are home most of the sumin a friendly way? Invite mer. Our next-door neighthem for coffee. Say that the bors have two toddler boys noise levels are rather disand a couple of barking tressing, and ask whether dogs. They are a nice famithere is any way they could ly except for the continuous give you a respite for an noise and chaos, which is especially noticeable in the Annie's hour or two each day. Another alternative is for summer when windows are you to close your windows, open. We can't enjoy coffee in the morning on our deck by Kathy Mitchell add fans, plant bushes, etc., or a drink outside in the late and Marcy Sugar etc. It's not as ideal as having the neighbors be quieter, afternoon. I realize that everyone has differ- of course, but it might be the best ent parenting styles. Theirs seems you can do. Dear Annie: I recently went to be the ''anything goes, let them express themselves'' method. I through gastric bypass surgery. I understand that small kids are noisy have arthritis, and when the weight and throw tantrums. We raised two is off, my knees and hips will be of our own. But when my kids had better, and I will have more energy. a tantrum, they were sent to their I've lost 75 pounds so far. My blood rooms until it ended. These kids pressure has already dropped. These are all positive things, but scream and cry all day long. I honestly don't know how they thin people don't realize how diffican stand it. At least we can shut the cult it is to lose weight. They have windows. Even my low-key hus- no right to ask me, ''How much do band is fed up. They rarely take the you want to lose?'' or to tell me that kids out in public, and I can under- if I only walked more, it would stand why. Is there any recourse for help. If I could walk more, I would, us? I don't mean to sound selfish, but my knees and hips prevent me but is a little peace and quiet too from doing much of that. I've been plagued with weight much to ask for? — Venting in Oreproblems all of my life. Being overgon Dear Oregon: We understand weight is a personal issue and not your frustrations, but you are mak- one I choose to share with everying a lot of assumptions about these one. Unsolicited advice is unwanted neighbors and their parenting style. advice. — Simi Valley, Calif. Dear Simi Valley: People can't It's possible that their toddlers have developmental or physical issues help noticing that you've lost a that make it much more difficult to great deal of weight, and some feel Mailbox obligated to comment on it. The fact that they don't know how to do so in a respectful way (''You look great!'') is annoying but common. Thank you for reminding folks to put their brains in gear before they open their mouths. Dear Annie: I had to respond to ''N.D. Rose,'' the 73-year-old who thought basic email etiquette was too difficult to learn. That's just an excuse for laziness. I'm 70 and have no problem using my computer effectively, but I had to make the effort to learn the necessary skills. I know a man who was in his 80s when he got his first computer, and he was soon emailing old friends all over the country without appearing to yell at them. Most communities with a senior center or a library offer a variety of computer courses, free or low-cost. There are also online tutorials. Family members who are computer literate can also help. I get annoyed and discouraged when people my age reinforce the stereotype that we are too old to learn. Thanks for letting me rant. — Ontario, Calif. 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. How Medicare covers ambulance services • You're in severe I certainly hope you never need an ambulance, pain, bleeding, in shock, but at some point you or unconscious; • You need oxygen or may have to take one during a medical emergency. other skilled medical If you have Original treatment during transMedicare, your Part B portation. Medicare (medical insurwill only cover ance) covers ambulance serambulance services to the vices to or from nearest approa hospital, critipriate medical cal-access hosfacility that's pital, or skilled able to give you nursing facility the care you only when other need. If you transportation choose to be could endanger transported to a your health. facility farther In some a w a y , cases, Medicare David Medicare's paymay cover ment will be ambulance serbased on the vices from your charge to the home or a medical facility to get care for closest appropriate facilia health condition that ty. If no local facilities requires you to be trans- are able to give you the ported only by ambu- care you need, Medicare lance. Medicare may also will help pay for transcover ambulance services portation to the nearest to or from a dialysis facility outside your local facility if you have End- area that's able to give Stage Renal Disease and you the care you need. Medicare may pay for other transportation could jeopardize your an air ambulance (airplane or helicopter) if health. Emergency ambulance your condition requires transportation is provided immediate and rapid after you've had a sudden transportation that a medical emergency and ground carrier can't proevery second counts to vide, and your pickup prevent your health from location is either: 1) hard getting worse. Here are to get to by ground transsome examples of when portation; or 2) long disMedicare might cover tances or heavy traffic emergency ambulance could keep you from getting care quickly. transportation: Sayen Non-emergency ambulance transportation may be covered when you need it to diagnose or treat your condition and any other mode of transportation could endanger your health. In some cases, Medicare covers limited non-emergency ambulance transportation if you have a statement from your doctor or other care provider stating that ambulance transportation is necessary due to your medical condition. For example, Medicare may cover a non-emergency ambulance for people confined to bed if other types of transport could endanger their health. If the ambulance company believes Medicare may not pay for nonemergency service because it isn't medically necessary or reasonable, they must give you an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN). The ABN has option boxes that allow you to choose whether you want the service and explains your responsibility to pay for it. If you indicate that you'll pay for the service and sign the ABN, you're responsible for paying if Medicare doesn't. You may be asked to pay at the time of service. If you're in a situation that requires an ambulance company to give Women in Business Conference NEC Small Business Development Center at Butte College is presenting its 15th Annual Women in Business Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Chico Masonic Family Center, 1110 W. East Ave., Chico. The theme will be Customer ServiceCentric: Customer focus = Increased Profits! Excellent Customer Service is one of the Keys to a successful business or organization. The conference will give you the skills to communicate professionalism, gain respect, enhance customer relationships, boost employee morale through improved performance and secure an overall competitive advantage through excellence in customer service. The day will empower you to improve the quality of your customer service, and implement techniques to increase cus- tomer loyalty and improve customer retention; educate you to identify tools to increase sales, revenue and profit and encourage you to inspire continuous improvement, go beyond self-limiting expectations, and build your best business through valuing the excellence of your service to customers. Conference includes internationally known and highly sought-after keynote and customer service experts, breakfast and lunch, the famous MarketPlace, networking and book signing. Registration is $79 per person (cash, check or credit card) and must be received on or before 5 p.m. Aug. 23. Pre-registration is required. Call, log onto or stop by the center at 895-9017, www.bcsbdc.org, 2480 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico. Health center names Chief Medical Officer Shasta Community Health Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David Canton, DO, MPH, JD as Chief Medical Officer as of Aug. 1. Canton is a Board Certified DO with MPH and JD degrees. He is a certified Physician Executive in Medical Management. He has military training with a strong leadership background, with over half of his military career in leadership positions. Canton relocated to Redding from Turlock and brings more than 25 years of experience to Shasta Community Health Center. The center is a nonprofit primary health care system based in Redding. More information on services is available at www.shastahealth.org. you an ABN and you refuse to sign it, the company will decide whether to take you by ambulance. If the company decides to send you in an ambulance even though you refused to sign, you may still be responsible for paying for the trip if Medicare doesn't pay. You won't be asked to sign an ABN in an emergency situation. You can appeal if Medicare doesn't pay for the ambulance trip and you believe it should have. If Medicare covers your trip, it will pay 80% of the Medicareapproved amount after you've met the Part B deductible ($147 in 2013). You pay the remaining 20%. How do you know if Medicare didn't pay for your ambulance? You'll get a Medicare Summary Notice explaining why Medicare didn't pay. David Sayen is Medicare's regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800MEDICARE (1-800-6334227). from healthy eating with these condiDEAR DOCtions often have TOR K: What magnesium defidoes magnesium ciency. If you sufcontribute to good fer from any of health? Should I them, talk to your have my magnedoctor about havsium level ing your magnechecked? sium level DEAR READchecked periodiER: Magnesium is Dr. K cally. important for good by Anthony L. Commonly health. You need Komaroff, M.D. used diuretic medadequate magnesium for bone health, and icines also can cause the it's essential for proper kidneys to eliminate magnerve, muscle, heart nesium in the urine, lowrhythm and immune func- ering the level of magnetion. It helps regulate sium in the blood and blood sugar levels and throughout the body. The promotes healthy blood thiazide diuretics (such as hydrochlorothiazide) or pressure. We get most of the "loop diuretics" (such as magnesium we need in furosemide) are both culfood. About half of the prits. People with diabetes magnesium we absorb is whose blood sugar is not stored in bone; the other well controlled also lose half is stored in cells magnesium in the urine. throughout the body. The same is true for peoExcess magnesium is ple who abuse alcohol. excreted through the kid- Finally, there are a group of rare inherited diseases neys. If you eat whole-grain that cause an excessive bread and your tap water loss of magnesium. How much magnesium is "hard" — meaning it contains relatively high should you get? For levels of minerals — you women ages 19-30, 310 probably consume more milligrams (mg) daily; magnesium than a person ages 31 and older, 320 who favors white bread mg. For men ages 19-30, and drinks "soft" water. 400 mg; ages 31 and Why? The refining older, 420 mg. Popular multivitamin process used to make white flour strips away the brands contain between magnesium-rich germ and 10 percent to 30 percent bran layer of the wheat. of the recommended daily And hard water contains allowance (RDA) for more magnesium than soft magnesium. Studies have shown that magnesium water. Most people don't have supplements may modestto worry about the level of ly lower blood pressure, magnesium in their blood. but don't take high-dose If you're otherwise supplements without a healthy, your magnesium doctor's guidance. You can get magnelevel is probably normal and you don't need to sium from a variety of check it regularly. Magne- healthy foods, such as sium deficiency is rare in nuts, fish, certain fruits, this country. When it does many vegetables and occur, it can cause muscle whole grains. I've put a weakness, cramping or table listing good food sources of magnesium on cardiac arrhythmias. Conditions that impair my website, AskDocmagnesium absorption torK.com. include chronic vomiting, Dr. Komaroff is a Crohn's disease (an inflammatory condition of physician and professor Harvard Medical the intestine), celiac dis- at To send ease and gastric bypass School. go to surgery. In all of these questions, or conditions, magnesium is AskDoctorK.com, lost in what is vomited or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 passed in bowel move- Shattuck St., Second ments. As a result, people Floor, Boston, 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.