Red Bluff Daily News

September 24, 2013

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013 – Daily News 3B FEATURES Biofeedback can help relieve pain, stress the machine. DEAR DOCAfter each sesTOR K: You've sion, you'll get an m e n t i o n e d assignment to biofeedback as a practice at home. treatment option Regular practice for several condiis essential to suctions, but I still cess. don't understand Biofeedback is what it is. Could effective for ceryou explain? Dr. K tain types of uriDEAR READby Anthony L. ER: Biofeedback Komaroff, M.D. nary and fecal incontinence. It is a technique that helps you monitor and helps with anal pain relatcontrol your body's ed to excessive muscle responses. By learning to contractions and constipacontrol certain functions, tion caused by problems you can improve your with the muscles in the medical condition, relieve anus. It also helps people chronic pain, reduce who suffer from Raystress, or improve your naud's phenomenon, tenheadaches and physical or mental perfor- sion fibromyalgia. mance. We're in the early During biofeedback training, a therapist stages of a technology attaches sensors to your related to biofeedback. body. The type and place- Body sensors, and the ment of sensors varies machine they talk to, are according to what is being electronic devices. Like measured. Sensors can all electronics — from detect changes in every- computers to smartphones thing from your heart rate, — devices keep getting skin temperature or mus- smaller and more powercle tension to your brain- ful. Already there are sensors that attach to the skin wave patterns. The machine then and are so small you baretranslates its measure- ly notice them. They send ments into a form of messages about your body immediate "feedback." through wireless signals You might see the feed- to machines that interpret back as a blinking light, a them. Some experts predict beeping sound, a balloon or a graph. (I've put an that people with certain illustration of what a chronic illnesses will biofeedback setup for uri- soon be constantly moninary incontinence might tored, day and night. The look like on my website, illnesses include irregular heart rhythms and epilepAskDoctorK.com.) Let's say your goal is to sy, for example. The monreduce neck, shoulder and itoring will spot early upper back pain. Biofeed- warning signs and collect back can help you recog- information that affects nize when you tense the treatment. It may sound a little muscles in your back, neck, shoulders or head. It like Big Brother, but it can help you relax them could become a valuable before you experience aid in diagnosing and pain, or it can help you treating disease. When the learn to relax muscles that evidence rolls in, we'll know what type of conare already in pain. Or say you are learning stant monitoring has to control your breathing health benefits. when you are in pain. A Dr. Komaroff is a balloon on the screen of physician and professor the biofeedback machine Harvard Medical may represent your at School. To send breathing rate. You can questions, go to learn to inflate and deflate AskDoctorK.com, or the balloon at the target rate. As you gain control write: Ask Doctor K, 10 over the target body func- Shattuck St., Second tion, you'll be weaned off Floor, Boston, MA 02115. Community Clip? e-mail: clerk@redbluffdailynews.com or Fax: 527-9251 Reader at wit's end over future MIL I think it is my fiance's Dear Annie: My place to explain his hurt fiance's mother has a rocky feelings to them. Do I conrelationship with both of tinue to be polite about it? I her sons. We see her infream currently working long quently, but still, my fiance hours to avoid being in my loses his patience with her home while she is visiting. Is quickly. there a better way to handle At first I was OK with this? — Z. her, but now she annoys Dear Z.: Yes, please conme, as well. She brags Annie's tinue to be polite. We recogabout things, pleads to get nize that his mother's behavher way, plans visits without checking with us, is by Kathy Mitchell ior is difficult, but you see sensitive to being told no or and Marcy Sugar her infrequently, so try to tolerate her as best you can to anything she perceives as criticism, and is very demanding. for your fiance's sake. He obviously She also recently pulled a childish cares a great deal about his parents. trick. When my fiance told her no He should tell them how important repeatedly, she simply called me to it is to him that they attend the wedplead her case, knowing I am ding, but he cannot control their response. We hope they will make uncomfortable saying no. She is in her late 60s and contin- the effort to be there, and we hope ues to blame her actions on a rocky you will be supportive without childhood. My mother says to just commiserating too much. Dear Annie: Lately, it seems as be polite to her, which I try hard to do. But now that she is in my home if my siblings have been ignoring for a week, conversations with her me, except for the eldest. I'm a are impossible, and I feel I need to teenager, and my siblings are older. walk away. She has a psychiatric The eldest tries to involve me in disorder, although I am not sure of everything she can, but she's the diagnosis. My fiance's grand- moved out of the house. The other mother indicates it is schizophrenia, two go off and have fun, and when I try to join in, they give me nasty so I don't want to push her too far. We are getting married soon at a looks and tell me to go away. What courthouse. During this unplanned should I do about them? — Indiana and uninvited trip, she said it is too Teen Dear Teen: You should recaliexpensive for her and my fiance's father to travel to see us get married. brate your expectations. Your sibI am fine with this, but my fiance is lings are not responsible for your upset that his parents do not care social life. We know it hurts when enough to make it work. They can they go off without you, but such rudeness is not uncommon. Learn afford the airline tickets. Mailbox RUNNINGS ROOFING There are lots of reasons to not carry credit card debt. The most obvious is that it's really expensive. Here's another reason that is often overlooked: It's so much harder to work for money you've already spent. But what if you do not carry any credit card debt at all? There are some who would say it is perfectly reasonable to use credit to pay for everything you possibly can during the month, provided you are able to pay it back down to $0 during the grace period. But it's still a habit that can have a negative effect on your financial situation. You need to kick your credit card habit for these simple reasons: YOUR CREDIT SCORE. The more you use your cards, the more likely you are to make a mistake. All of those activities -- good and bad -are reported to the credit bureaus and land in your credit file. That information is then compiled into a threedigit number that can change daily -and be used to determine how much interest you will pay on your mortgage, what your insurance premiums will be, and even if you'll get that job you've applied for. Credit scores -like it or not -- have become a kind of character reference. Kick the credit card habit and your credit score is likely to improve all on its own. To get a rough idea of your FICO credit score, you can use the FICO Score Sheet Metal Roofing Residential Commercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane "No Job Too Steep" " No Job Too Flat" Serving Tehama County No Money 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 CA. LIC#829089 Down! FREE ESTIMATES Owner is on site on every job Courtesy photo Tehama County Registrar of Voters Bev Ross addresses Tehama County Democrats. all unregistered citizens to driver's license or state get registered. identification card. Tehama Voter registration can be County Democrats will completed at a local post also be registering voters at office or online at their booth at the Tehama www.registertovote.ca.gov. District fair this weekend. This online application To learn more about the requires date of birth and activities of the Democrats last four digits of the Social of Tehama County go to Security number, which is www.tehamacountydemothen checked by the Secre- crat.org or phone 530-736tary of State against their 7327. The Over 25 years of experience STOVE JUNCTION BBQ PELLETS The North State's premier supplier of stoves Now in Stock! Popular customer request Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Tues-Sat 9am-5pm • Closed Sun & Mon 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com 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. You need to kick your credit card habit Democrats celebrate Voter Registration Day Tehama County Democrats will join thousands of other groups nationwide today to celebrate National Voter Registration Day. To help observe the occasion, Bev Ross, Tehama County registrar of voters, spoke at last week's meeting of the Tehama County Democrats. During her presentation, she discussed the popularity of voting by mail and reported that 65% of Tehama County voters voted by mail last November. She also mentioned that while almost 75% of registered voters, voted last November, that only represented about 54% of eligible voters. Considering the large number of unregistered local voters, help is needed in promoting voter registration. Tehama County Democrats are encouraging to ignore them. When they leave, casually wave goodbye and be occupied with something else. As you grow up, this situation will improve, but it will take time. Meanwhile, phone or text your friends and schedule some activities so you are less focused on what your siblings are doing. It also will make you much more interesting to them if you seem independently busy and happy. If you need help doing this, talk to your parents, your school counselor, a favorite teacher or other trusted adult. Dear Annie: I'm responding to the comment from ''Germantown, Tenn.,'' about store employees being forced to stand all day. That's part of their job description and how products get to the shelves. In the store that I manage, the older employees never have complained about standing all day. — The Manager Dear Manager: The fact that your employees don't complain doesn't mean they aren't suffering. Standing is OK if you get to walk around, but otherwise, it is hard on the feet and back. Estimator at myFICO.com. The cal- get. If you're paying with plastic, you culator is free. Or you can purchase just feel freer at the moment to load your credit score at the same site. up the tab. But if you kick the credit On the FICO score range, any- card habit and leave the plastic at thing over 720 is good. High- home, you will spend less. That means more cash in your pocket. er than 760 is great. YOUR SHELTER. It's YOUR HAPPIbecome the popular thing to NESS. Nearly half tap into one's home equity of those people who by way of a home equity carry credit card debt loan or refinance to pay off experience symptoms of credit card debt. But by depression. No surprises doing this, the homeowner there. The effects of credputs his or her home at risk it card debt can be debilishould something happen tating, if not devastating. that makes it impossible to But the good news is that keep up with those new, big kicking the habit allows monthly payments. Even you to retrace your steps worse, most people who pay and work your way out of Mary off their credit cards turn debt. It's not impossible. around and run them back to In fact, thousands of peothe max within just two ple reading this right now years, getting themselves have done that using the into double trouble. Kick the system that I created and credit card habit and you welcome you to use at won't be tempted to tap into DebtProofLiving.com. this appreciating asset to pay Thousands of people have used my Rapid Debt-Repayment for stuff you charged a long time ago Plan Calculator and Manager and ... and possibly don't even remember can attest to the fact that each repaid now. debt returned options to them. And Mary Hunt is the founder of once they were out of debt, their www.DebtProofLiving.com, a peace of mind returned as well. YOUR CASH. There are a num- personal finance member website. can email her at ber of studies that show that people You who pay with plastic just spend more mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or -- whether it's a soda machine with a write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. credit card slot or a great sale at Tar- Box 2099, Cypress, CA 90630. Hunt Everyday Cheapskate

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