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Tuesday, January 11, 2011 – Daily News – 3B FEATURES Teen traumatized Dear Annie: I’m 15 years old. Two years ago, I arrived home from school to find a burglar in my room. My bedroom door was locked, and when I got near it, the thief burst through the door. I attempted to kick him in the groin, but missed. He grabbed my throat, squeezing it tight, and then went out the window. I called 911 and waited inside a closet for help. I made out a report and told my parents. They never found the guy, and ever since, I have become extremely para- noid when left home alone, even if it’s for only an hour. In the past few months, it has gotten worse. I keep thinking there’s someone trying to get in, or I hear imaginary footsteps in the hallway. Until my parents come home, I keep a kitchen knife by my side. A secondary problem is that when I think someone is going to touch my back or neck, I tense up. I don’t know how to express my feelings to my family without sounding pathetic. I don’t want therapy, because my parents can’t afford it. Do you have any suggestions about how to get over my phobia? — Paranoid in Southern Calif. Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Dear Paranoid: Your parents should know how you feel because they will want to help. But if you are reluctant to speak to them, talk to your school counselor or nurse. It sounds as if you are suffering from post-traumat- ic stress, and some short-term therapy could be extremely helpful in working through your fears and learning tech- niques to cope with your anxiety. Dear Annie: My boyfriend was divorced a couple of months ago. He and his ex-wife have six children together. She is very bitter about the divorce and dislikes me intensely. The ex’s mother passed away last week. My boyfriend attended the wake and funeral. The problem is, he felt I should have gone with him to be sup- portive, regardless of what his ex thought about it. I say that because this woman dislikes me so much — and has for 30 years — it was better that I did not attend the funeral and make a bad situation worse for her and their children. What do you say? — Sure I Did the Right Thing Dear Sure: You behaved correctly. This was not about your boyfriend. It was about his ex-wife. Your boyfriend was there to pay his personal respects and support his children. Your presence would have created tension and anger, adding more pain for the bereaved. If your boyfriend needed your support, he could find you at home. Dear Annie:I would like to reply to ‘‘Pleading for a Little Privacy,’’ who works nights and sleeps days and can’t get people to leave her alone. My wife and I work opposite shifts so one of us can be home with our sons. We have done this for 11 years. If someone rang the doorbell, I would not answer. I used to have a problem with my father-in-law, who would come over and ring the doorbell or phone me about things that could have waited. I had a simple solution for this. Whenever he would wake me up dur- ing the day, I would call him at the cor- responding time late at night and do the same to him. If he woke me up at noon, I would refuse to talk to him. Then, when I got to work, I would call him at midnight and ask him what he wanted to talk about. After my third call, he got the hint. Now he never calls me during the day. In fact, he never calls me at all. If he needs something, he will call my wife. This has worked pretty well, and I get a lot more sleep. — Andrew from Illinois Dear Andrew: You’ve solved one problem, but we hope you haven’t cre- ated a second one with an alienated father-in-law. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W.Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. 'American Idol': Will all the new changes fill the void left by Cowell? LOS ANGELES (MCT) — When "Ameri- can Idol" returns for its 10th season on Fox Jan. 19, it will have two fresh (and very famous) faces at the judges' table. And it will also feature, the net- work promises, a renewed focus on the warbling would-be stars who are supposed to be the singing smash's reason for exis- tence in the first place. Ah, but something will be missing. Oh, right _— the sassy guy with the flat- top and tight T-shirts. The big suspense sur- rounding the new "Idol" isn't whether Steven Tyler will be introduced as Liv Tyler's father or Jennifer Lopez will salvage her fading career. The Aero- smith frontman and Bronx-born J-Lo were picked as new judges amid a seemingly endless carni- val of speculation last summer. Instead, the real story centers on whether the show will survive the departure of Simon Cow- ell, the caustic lead judge who rode his merciless putdowns of auditioners to high-powered stardom. The stakes are incredi- bly high for Fox. "Idol" is the No. 1 series on televi- sion and has propelled Fox to repeated victories in the crucial demographic of adults ages 18 to 49, according to the Nielsen Co. The singing contest has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in rev- enue for Fox and made it nearly impossible for ABC and NBC to compete in midweek during the winter and spring months. CBS, the most-watched network, has fared much better but has nevertheless been held to a counterpro- gramming strategy, batting back the "Idol" threat with franchise crime series such as "Criminal Minds" and "NCIS," which skew heavily toward older view- ers. And at a time when broadcasting was sup- posed to be slumping off into irrelevance, "Idol" proved that 30 million viewers will still crowd around a network show, provided it's the right net- work show. At least for the record, Fox executives insist there's little cause for con- cern. "Idol" — produced by Fremantle Media and 19 Entertainment — just needs a few tweaks and, in any event, a somewhat less big "Idol" is still huge. "For any show in its 10th season to be holding Oil pulling for mouth lesions? DEAR DR. GOTT: I just read your col- umn about the woman with mouth ulcers, and I believe I have come across a little-known cure for just about all diseases of the mouth. Oil pulling! It works great and is not bad tasting, depending on the type of oil one uses. Dr. Peter Gott I was diagnosed with advanced periodontal disease several years ago and was told to prepare myself for dentures because my teeth could- n’t be saved. I read an article in a magazine that my chiropractor gave me about oil pulling and did a little more research. Because I had nothing to lose, I started doing it every day, sometimes twice a day, and in less than a year, my peri- odontal disease has dis- appeared, my gums are healthy, and my teeth are clean and white. I just had a full dental exam, and my dentist said he has never seen anything like it. For any- one with dental prob- lems, I would recom- mend oil pulling. Infor- mation can be found at oilpulling.com or numer- ous other websites. It lists a lot of other claims of what oil pulling can do, but I believe most are unfounded other than for oral hygiene. Your thoughts? MCT photo The new American Idol judge’s table debuts Jan. 19 on Fox. up as well as 'Idol' is a tes- tament to the show," said Preston Beckman, Fox's research and scheduling guru. "It's been about 60 percent higher than the next highest-rated show, so worst-case scenario, it'll still be the biggest show on television." "Idol" indeed has a long way to fall before it could be considered in trouble. It has been the No. 1 pro- gram for a record six straight years — longer than any show, scripted or otherwise, including "All in the Family," "The Cosby Show" and "I Love Lucy." This season, the net- work is hoping "Idol" can push it to the top of the heap on Thursdays, a night where Fox has historically been weak. Executives made the decision to move the results show there (after following a Tues- day-Wednesday schedule in years past) after CBS pulled "Survivor" off the night. "We could go into next season as the No. 1 net- work on Thursday night," Beckman said. But there is a sense that Fox is on the defensive, that the network must stop more air from escaping the "Idol" balloon. Last May's finale drew 24.2 million total viewers — still an enormous figure, but "Idol's" worst season clos- er since its first back in 2002. Critics griped about the perceived blandness of the contestants, including runner-up Crystal Bower- sox and the self-effacing winner Lee DeWyze. Even the show's once formidable infrastructure seemed out of whack. Ellen DeGeneres, who was hired to replace Paula Abdul on the judge's table, proved an awkward fit. Trying to accommodate reactions from a quartet of judges — actually the same number as on "Pop Idol," the show's British predecessor — threw off the pacing and often made the program run long. Cowell exited after last season to prepare his own talent contest, "The X Fac- tor," for a Fox run later this year. "In the past couple years, it was like so much oxygen seemed to be con- sumed by everything going on the judges' panel that the poor kids hardly had a chance to introduce themselves," said Richard Rushfield, author of the forthcoming book "'Amer- ican Idol': The Untold Story." Perhaps as a result, the last few crops of "Idol" singers haven't broken through to mainstream success the way earlier performers did, such as Season 1's Kelly Clarkson, Season 4's Carrie Under- wood and Season 5's Chris Daughtry (who did not win or make the finals of the contest). "The biggest thing that 'Idol' needs to do this year," Rushfield said, "is produce a major recording star. They haven't done that in a lot of years, and it's sort of the premise of the show." Thus, what those close to the show promise will be a return to roots. Nigel Lythgoe, the producer and "So You Think You Can Dance" judge who left "Idol" in 2008 after report- edly tangling with Cowell, has come back to oversee the show. Meanwhile, the pro- ducers are hoping to beef up "Idol's" musical credi- bility with the addition of Jimmy Iovine, a leading record producer and music-label executive who will serve as a permanent mentor to the contestants. "He's going to fill some of that Simon void, of being the industry veteran who's not going to pull any punches," Fox's Beck- man said. "Even though he's not going to be a judge, he's going to have an impact throughout the season on the kids." The very fact that Fox is talking about a "Simon void" suggests how much "Idol" must prove this sea- son. Whether Tyler, J-Lo & Co. are up to the task remains to be seen. Early promos have given little indication what type of style the new judges will bring (Randy Jackson is the only one of the original three judges to remain). "He was the master of brutal honesty, but he real- ly knew the business," industry analyst Shari Anne Brill said of Cowell. "If the replacements and the new formatting of the show (don't) get people from the beginning, it's going to hurt." But a few weeks can make a huge difference in the life of a TV show. When "Idol" premiered during the summer of 2002, few viewers or media outlets paid it much attention at first. And prac- tically no one had ever heard of Simon Cowell. DEAR READER: Before your letter, I had not heard of oil pulling, the act of swishing a tea- spoon or so of oil in the mouth for up to 20 min- utes a day. This is fol- lowed by normal tooth brushing. The website you listed does indeed list a plethora of condi- tions that oil pulling can help or cure and being skeptical, I looked for other scientific resources. I found two particularly interesting publications, both in Indian dental journals. Two of the authors are the same for each publi- cation, and all were part of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Meenakshi Ammal Den- tal College. The first study was a randomized, controlled, triple-blind study that looked at the effect of oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans in plaque and saliva. One group used oil pulling (with sesame oil) for 10 minutes every day before brushing, and the control group used chlorhexidine mouth- wash for 10 minutes every day before brush- ing. The authors found that both groups had sig- nificant reductions of the S. mutans and concluded that oil pulling could be effectively used as a pre- v enti v e adjunct in maintaining and improv- ing oral health. The sec- ond study was also a ran- domized, controlled, triple-blind study that looked at the effects of oil pulling on plaque- induced gingivitis. Again, one group used sesame oil and oil pulling, and the other used chlorhexidine mouthwash. The authors found that both groups showed significant reduction in plaque and modified gingival index scores. They also found that there was a reduc- tion in the total colony count of aerobic microorganisms. Again, they concluded that oil pulling was as effective as the control mouth- wash. Essentially, both stud- ies showed that oil pulling with sesame oil for 10 minutes every day before brushing was as effective as a prescrip- tion oral rinse used to treat gingivitis. These were small studies with a total of 20 participants in each. If you had success with oil pulling, stick with it. I don’t believe it can cause any harm and may be beneficial. Other readers, if you have had any experience with oil pulling, please let me know your results. Because you seem to be interested in alterna- tive remedies, I am send- ing you copies of my Health Reports “Dr. Gott’s Compelling Home Remedies” and “More Compelling Home Remedies.” Other read- ers who would like copies should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order for each report to Newslet- ter, P.O. Box 167, Wick- liffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s) or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.co m. 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 Community Resource Guide Community Resource Guide 2011 2011 Corning Annual Coming soon in the Red Bluff Daily News Friday, January 28, 2011 Corning 2011 Deadline to place an ad is Tuesday, January 11, 2011 Red Bluff Annual Coming soon in the Red Bluff Daily News Saturday, February 26, 2011 Red Bluff 2011 Deadline to place an ad is Friday, February 4, 2011 To place your ad Call (530) 527-2151 Today! 10% off your ad in each section when you buy an ad in Corning Today & Red Bluff Today