Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/18568
Friday, October 29, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Sick spouse scurrilously smothering son Dear Annie: Our son recently informed us that our 7-year-old grandson has high- functioning Asperger’s syn- drome. I have extensive expe- rience with children on the autism spectrum. ‘‘Jeremy’s’’ behaviors, while rowdy, are not typical of Asperger’s. What we have noticed, however, is a crippling degree of anxiety and numerous pho- bias in our daughter-in-law, ‘‘Lois.’’ Jeremy is not allowed to play outside, have friends over or do any activities normal for a boy his age. Lois keeps him on a rigid schedule designed for a much younger child. He is not allowed to bathe alone, brush his own teeth or wipe himself after using the bathroom, even though he is capable of doing all these things. As a result, he acts out and has serious behavior problems at school. When Jeremy is with me, he is a Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar she told me to leave her home and then had a screaming tantrum. My terrified grandson hid in the garage. My son admits his wife has a mental health problem, but he runs away to the office. He said Lois called him at work demanding that he come home if he ever wanted to see his son alive again. She once falsely accused him of molesting the boy. He told me that she locks herself in her room for days at a time, often keeping Jeremy in there with her. She even insists she can read the thoughts of others. What can I do? — Deeply Con- cerned Dear Concerned: Your daughter- totally different child. Even his father has a better experience with the boy than his wife does. With his mother, however, Jeremy’s behaviors are alarming and clearly meant to get attention. I actually saw waitresses cringe when we entered a pizza parlor. He is cruel to small animals and says he wants to kill the family cat. Lois confessed that she had pres- sured a specialist into giving her son the Asperger’s diagnosis. When I gen- tly suggested getting a second opinion, I spent part of this past week at a fascinating con- ference in Montreal focused on a precious global resource. No, it wasn't gold. And it wasn't oil. It was all about a resource that threat- ens to become even more scarce and thus have a more devastating economic impact: water. They're calling it "The Blue Gold Rush" -- as the need for water grows with a growing glob- al population, and the supply is diminished by the greater demand. The globe will add bil- lions of people in the next couple of decades. Each will demand water for sustenance and for the pro- duction of food. As one expert, Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Insti- tute and author of "The Water Report," noted: "We are hitting the carrying capacity of the planet (when it comes to water as a resource). ... In 50 years, food will be a security issue." In America, we mostly take water for granted. Like air, we expect it to be clean and immediately available at no measurable cost. But the rest of the world doesn't have such a cavalier attitude toward water. In fact, the head of the Nature Conser- vancy estimates that 4,000 children die every day around the world from lack of available clean water and from the concurrent lack of sanitary facilities. That was a shocking way to start the conference. One billion people on our planet do not have safe drinking water. But even where there is water -- think of the recent monsoons and floods in Southeast Asia -- the issue is cleanliness. It's shocking to realize that 40 percent of the world's popu- KWIK KUTS Family Hair Salon WITH COUPON REGULAR HAIRCUT Senior & Child Reg. $12.95 PERM OR COLOR Not good with other offers 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 $200 $500 Expires 10/31/10 Reg. $55.00 off & Up off Reg. $13.98 COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. Check Out our online ‘Yard Sale Map’ Updated Thursday afternoon – for weekend Yard Sales! Click on locations for exact addresses and driving directions! ‘ Yard Sale Map ’ can be easily accessed from our top menu at www.redbluffdailynews.com . Mouse over the red ‘ Classified ’ tab and scroll down to ‘ Yard Sale Map ’ and click. TROY’S INFERNO  This high intensity circuit training class combines dynamic warm up with plyometrics, various forms of resistance training, and calisthenics to create fun challenging routines! Join a motivated supportive group and burn some serious calories while building strength and endurance. Monday and Wednesday Mornings November 1st -24th 8 sessions $80 Limited to 12 people, so sign up NOW! Contact Troy for more info at 528-8656 Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498 South Main St • Red Bluff 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com 5:45am-6:30am    in-law is mentally ill and is abusing her son emotionally. The fact that Dad per- mits this is reprehensible. Call Child Protective Services, and ask that some- one check out the home situation. Talk to the principal and counselor at Jere- my’s school. Then tell your son to stop hiding at work and contact the Nation- al Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org) at 1-800-950-NAMI (1- 800-950-6264) and ask for help. Dear Annie: My husband insists on blowing his nose at the dinner table. This includes when we eat out at restaurants with linen napkins. I’ve told him repeatedly that blowing one’s nose into a napkin, especially a cloth one that our server will have to handle, lation lacks basic sanitation. Companies in diverse areas such as manufactur- ing, oil drilling, agriculture and drug manufacturing have been dedicating resources to the global water issue. Water security becomes food security, which becomes national security. But instead of fighting over water, the world so far is aligning to make better use of the water we have. In the last few years, the global issues of water usage, delivery, collection and preservation have become corporate imperatives. And it is clear- ly more than a "do-good" public relations effort. For example, Coca-Cola gave a presentation on the impor- tance of long-term planning for water resources, a key product ingredient, in the countries where it bottles beverages. Walmart built stores in Brazil that reduced their water consumption by 40 percent -- through the use of different building materials and by pressuring suppliers to become more green in the products they deliver. The retailer has undertaken an in-store campaign to make customers more aware of water issues. IBM has created a divi- sion, Big Green Innovation, as part of its Smarter Planet initiative, to use its data pro- cessing ability to help com- panies create metrics for measuring its use of water and other resources. If you haven't heard the term "Green Sigma," you soon will. Canada, with its abun- dant supply of this natural resource, is taking the lead in discussions about the usage, storage and technol- ogy around water. But first and foremost, it's an issue of is downright rude. He doesn’t care and believes I am overreacting. I would so appreciate it if you would please give us a lesson on nose- blowing etiquette. — Too Mortified To Dine Out Dear Mortified: One should excuse oneself from the table when blowing one’s nose and never, ever use a napkin. We suggest you bring along a handkerchief or travel pack of tissues for those moments when your husband feels the need to honk in public and see if it helps. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ‘‘Needing Advice,’’ whose boss is hav- ing an affair with a co-worker. Yes, she should tell the wife. Two years ago, I was that wife, and no one told me. I was hurt to discover that everyone knew except me. Women I thought were my friends did not say a thing to me. I felt so betrayed. Please advise ‘‘Needing’’ to tell the wife. I seriously doubt her job will be jeopardized. His wife will make sure it isn’t. — Betrayed in New Mexico Dear N.M.: We understand your sense of betrayal, but a personal friend is not in the same position as the hus- band’s employee. His love life is the employee’s business only insofar as it affects the job — in which case, she should approach her employer, not his spouse. Water — The Blue Gold Rush public awareness. Even the famed Cirque du Soleil has a "One Drop" initiative to bring the topic to public consciousness at a non- technical level, and it has used profits to create a foun- dation that funds clean water projects around the world. In America, we're just beginning to see fights over water rights in the West and Califor- nia. Who owns the water that is diverted for farm- ing upstream, when communi- ties downstream need the water for human consump- tion? Who decides and who bears the costs? This interest in water as a critical resource has creat- ed many invest- ment opportuni- ties. PowerShares Water Resources (PHO) is a stock that I bought sev- eral years ago to invest in this area. It's still trading at pre-2008 crash highs, but well off their lows. There are also plenty of individual companies involved in water testing and filtration. With so many technologies now being tested, it is better to diversi- fy your investments. Com- panies that find technology solutions and solve distribu- tion logistics in developing countries could reap big rewards. Terry Savage The Savage Truth on Money my purchase price of around $17 a share, but well above its lows for the year of $7 a share, when I forgot to buy more! Similarly, there is Pow- erShares Global Water ETF (PIO) as a way to play this industry, and the Claymore S&P Global Water Index (CGW). All are below their badly. The first step is aware- ness. So next time you buy a bottle of water or take that extra-long shower, you might think twice. And consider hedging your bets with an investment in the future of water. Every drop counts. And that's the Sav- age Truth. Local Established Business For Sale OR Partnership Opportunities CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES ARRIVING DAILY! 623 Main St. 527-5180 Some Ameri- can companies function in emerging mar- kets, which are just developing infrastructure for both drinking and wastewater systems. But domestic water infrastructure might be the beneficiary of upcoming gov- ernment stimu- lus programs. It's not only our roads that need restoration -- our water infrastruc- ture is leaking Reducing the spread of germs DEAR DR. GOTT: A few years ago, my mother read some- thing in your col- umn that led her to believe that because urine is sterile, she doesn’t need to wash her hands after urinat- ing. Not having read that particular question and response, I don’t know what information you conveyed. The prob- lem for us now is that she is clinging to that “advice.” She lives in an assisted-living communi- ty, and the hygiene issue affects many other people. So, between whatever it was she gleaned from your column and a false claim to being allergic to soap, we have a real prob- lem. She reads your column faithfully, so it would be of great benefit to all who are in similar living cir- cumstances if you would revisit the necessity of hand washing and other hygiene issues for those who live in healthcare communities. I’m a con- cerned daughter. DEAR READER: Indeed, I must admit that in the past I indicated that hand washing wasn’t vital following urination. Well, I got raked over the coals (and rightly so) for that one by my readers and quickly realized the error of my ways. My beliefs are exactly that — mine — and I should not have passed them to others. Generally speaking, urine is sterile until it leaves the body — free of bacteria and viruses. However, it contains waste products, fluids and salts. Infection occurs when organisms from the digestive tract cling to the opening of the urethra and multiply. The urethra car- ries urine from the bladder to outside the body. The most common bacterium is Escherichia coli, other- wise known as E. coli. Any abnormality of the urinary tract that obstructs the flow of urine can trig- ger an infection. Further- more, people with dia- betes or disorders that suppress the immune sys- tem have a higher risk of UTI. When we are young, we are oblivious and don’t Dr. Peter Gott think about things like this. But as we age, we may become a little less diligent about personal hygiene. It doesn’t matter whether we live alone, with an aging spouse or in a healthcare facili- ty. We may feel that we are rela- tively inactive and don’t need to shower daily, wash our hair, keep our fingernails trimmed, and wash our hands. After all, if we sit around all day, we can’t get dirty and don’t need to take such measures, right? Well, no matter what bacterial or viral infection is men- tioned today, one of the key things to do is to wash our hands. If we take the time to think, we are exposed to an overwhelm- ing amount of bacteria and germs on door han- dles, shopping carts and telephone receivers every day of our lives. The safest and best protection is to keep our hands clean, including washing our hands after using the bath- room. Tell your mother that she has a special place in my heart because of her beliefs, but hand washing prevents the spread of germs, bacteria and virus- es. She should find a mild soap that she isn’t “aller- gic to” and wash her hands. To provide related information, I am send- ing you a copy of my Health Report “Bladder and Urinary Tract Infec- tions.” 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, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDr- GottMD.com. 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. Dr. Andrew PomazalD.O. Physician & Surgeon General Medicine Saturday Appointments Available • High Blood Pressure • Diabetes • Joint & Muscle Pain • Lung Problems We offer Osteopathic Manipulation 530 528-2066 2050 Main St, Red Bluff Its time to place your Accepting New Patients Bareroot S.O.F.T. orders. Orders must be placed by November 8th. Stop by and we will help place your orders. Red Bluff Garden Center 527-0886 766 Antelope Blvd. (next to the fairgrounds)