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Saturday, March 5, 2011 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Reader needs alternative to pulled medication DEAR DR. GOTT: I am 73 years old. Owing to arthritis and many broken bones, I have been taking Darvocet with good results. Now the Food and Drug Administra- tion (thanks to Public Citizen) has removed it from the market. I have now been put on a stronger drug (Vicodin). Are there any other medicines you could mention? I have not had much success with the new medication. Dr. Peter Gott last resort. Based on your brief letter and without know- ing what other options you have tried, what other medical condi- tions you may have and what joints are affected, I can provide only general advice. I assume DEAR READER: In November 2010, the FDA removed Darvon (propoxyphene) and Dar- v ocet (propoxyphene/aceta- minophen) from the mar- ket. They also asked gener- ic-drug makers to stop marketing medications that contained propoxyphene. This came after the manu- facturer of the drugs com- pleted a new study (at the request of the FDA) that showed propoxyphene put patients at risk of poten- tially serious and some- times fatal heart-rhythm abnormalities. Propoxyphene was banned in the United Kingdom in 2005 and in Europe a few years later. It has been a controversial medication for decades. Known side effects include constipation, dizzi- ness, headache, vomiting, allergic reaction, sedation, coma, hallucinations, car- diac arrest, drug toxicity, convulsions, accidental and intentional overdose, respiratory arrest, suicide, dependence, mental-status changes, cardiac-rhythm abnormalities, heart attack, congestive heart failure and death. According to its web- site, www.citizen.org, Pub- lic Citizen is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring “that all citizens are represented in the halls of power.” It has taken on and successfully chal- lenged several industries — including pharmaceuti- cals and automobiles. In regards to propoxyphene, the organi- zation petitioned the FDA to ban the substance in 1978 and again in 2006. In a press release, Public Cit- izen says that its February 2006 petition, which fol- lowed the U.K. ban announcement, did not even result in an FDA advisory-committee hear- ing until they sued the agency in 2008, forcing a response to the petition. The hearing wasn’t held until January 2009, in which a 14-to-12 vote favored banning the drug; however, in July 2009, just weeks after the European propoxyphene ban, the FDA denied the petition, instead opting to mandate a black-box warning and ordering a human study to determine whether the drug truly put patients at risk. It is unclear to me why, if both the United King- dom and Europe found sufficient evidence to ban propoxyphene, the U.S. FDA did not take steps ear- lier. Now to your arthritis pain. In my opinion, nar- cotic pain relievers typical- ly are not a good option for treating arthritis pain. They carry several side effects, including dependence, and should be used only as a EXPERTISE IS STANDING BY. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, TODAY. ©2010 HRB Tax Group, Inc. 1315 Solano St, Corning, CA 96021 530-824-7999 120 Bell Mill Road, Red Bluff, CA 96080 530-527-7515 Mon-Fri 9 am to 7 pm because you are taking a narcotic, your arthritis is fairly advanced. If it is affecting your hips or knees, are you a candidate for joint replacement? Have you tried cortisone injection? Replacement- cartilage injections? Do over-the-counter anti- inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, work to ease your pain? Have you tried physical therapy, water aerobics or yoga? All of these options may be beneficial to you and may reduce your pain level. In regards to your “bro- ken bones,” I am unclear what you mean. Are you currently suffering from several broken bones because of an accident or fall? Are these healed injuries? Are they a result of osteoporosis? Which bones are or were broken that are now causing you pain? If you are suffering from spinal fractures due to osteoporosis, you should increase your calci- um and vitamin D intake and consider taking a med- ication to try to restore some of your bone loss. If the fractures are new and the result of injury, healing will take several weeks and pain should subside during that time. If these are old fractures that are now healed, lingering pain may never completely go away but often isn’t severe and is generally described as an achy feeling, especially during cold, damp weather. If the fractures weren’t set correctly, the bones may have grown abnormally, putting pressure on mus- cles and nerves. I suggest that you seek the assistance of a pain clinic or pain specialist, who may be able to offer you other treatment options. He or she can work with you to find the right therapy or therapies that allow you to function well on a daily basis — hopefully without medica- tion or with a drug that doesn’t carry so many side effects. To provide related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Understanding Osteoarthritis” and “Con- sumer Tips on Medicine.” Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order for each report payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s) or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.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. A Clean, Reliable, Trustworthy, Chimney Company... Possible? ”Their tarps are always clean and my home is always clean afterward. What I like best is their reliability and quality.” “I can trust them!” Dr. Evan Reasor Flue Season 527 3331 THE Chimney Professionals Banished brother bellicosely bitter Dear Annie: My broth- er was scheduled for open- heart surgery involving three different procedures. I hadn’t seen him for sever- al months and wanted to visit before the operation, as I feared he might not make it through. The day before his surgery, my wife and I were driving the two-hour trip to his home when we received a call from his wife. She said she didn’t want us coming, that she was already stressed out and didn’t want anyone else using up the time she and her children had with my broth- er. I told her how much it meant to me to see him, but she said, ‘‘Don’t bother coming. My children and I don’t want you here.’’ My sister-in-law has always been a strong-headed woman, but this was too much. Our conversation turned into a shouting match. I was so angry and upset that I could hardly drive the car back home. I told my wife that what she did was unforgivable and I would never speak to her again. Fortunately, my brother’s Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar surgery was a success, and he is recovering. I will see him as soon as I can, but only when his wife is not around. I will never get over what she did. How would you handle this? — Angry in NYC Dear Angry: Your sister-in-law may not have dealt with this very kindly, but try to see it from her per- spective. She thought her husband might die and want- ed his children to have every second of his remaining time. She was under a great deal of stress, and your needs didn’t come into con- sideration. If you prefer to avoid her for the rest of your life, that’s up to you, but we’re sure your brother would appreciate it if you could somehow forgive her. Dear Annie: My sister is almost 50 years old and still picks her nose in public. When I am with her, it is very embarrassing. She uses a tissue, but nonetheless shoves her fingers up her nose. It is not subtle. I’ve told her to stop doing this and to blow her nose like a normal person, but she doesn’t listen. I know she often is alienated from co- workers, and I suspect this bad habit may be causing her to miss job- related opportunities. Maybe if you print this, she will listen to you. — Picky’s Sister Dear Picky: Constant nose pick- ing can be an obsessive-compulsive disorder triggered by stress. Or it could be that her nose itches a lot. Or she may have sinus problems, in which case using a saline spray might help. But some habits are so ingrained, they are done uncon- sciously. In order for your sister to stop sticking her fingers up her nose, she will have to be aware that she’s doing it and want to stop. At the very least, she should do it in private. It is not an attractive process to watch. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ‘‘Illinois,’’ whose husband wants to keep their dog, ‘‘Buddy,’’ even though he doesn’t get along with their other four dogs and they are expecting a baby soon. I am a dog trainer and am always amazed at people who have numerous dogs and expect all of them to get along. That notion is totally insane. It would be like having five people with five different personalities liv- ing together 24/7. As much as the husband loves this dog, for everyone’s sake, Buddy should be placed in a home where HIS needs are met. A multi- ple-dog home is simply not it. And in doing what is best for Buddy, it also is absolutely best for everyone involved. Otherwise, they are ask- ing for some serious consequences for both the humans and the other dogs. — Dallas, Ore. Dear Dallas: We appreciate the professional backup and agree that Buddy would be better off else- where — and so would the rest of the family. 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. Book club forming at library in Red Bluff The Red Bluff Library is starting a book club. For the first meeting, members will be reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. The first book club will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 in the Community Room of the Red Bluff branch library. The club will meet monthly on the third Tues- day of the month. Please come into the library beforehand to pick up a copy of the book to read and enjoy. If you have any questions, library staff can help you at 527- 0604. Construction projects on I-5 through Redding The California Depart- ment of Transportation will begin four construc- tion projects on Interstate 5 through the Redding area this spring and summer. These projects are in addi- tion to the construction project at the I-5/SR44 interchange. Work is in progress at the I-5/SR44 interchange and will continue through the fall of 2011. The $5.9 million project, being con- structed by Tullis, Inc. of Redding, will add one aux- iliary lane in the south- bound direction from one half mile north of Cypress Avenue to the Hilltop Drive overcrossing. This lane will allow for through traffic to be separated from ramp weaving movements through the Interchange. A project to re-con- struct, upgrade, adjust, and install new metal beam guard rail at various locations from Cotton- wood to just south of Dun- smuir has just recently started and will continue through the fall of 2012. The approximately $6 million construction pro- ject was awarded to Coral Construction of Wilsonville, Oregon. A similar project will also be completed in Tehama County. Caltrans in part- nership with the Shasta County Regional Trans- portation Planning Agency will begin con- struction as early as May on the south Redding Six Lane project which will add a 12ft lane and a 10ft shoulder in the median in both the north and south bound directions on I-5 from Bonnyview Road to the I-5/SR44 interchange. This section of I-5 has the highest levels of con- gestion between Woodland and the Oregon State line. This project will improve operations, add capacity and reduce congestion. Completion of this $22.5 million project is anticipat- ed in the fall of 2012. Construction of a safety project to install cable median barrier, which will reduce cross median acci- dents, will begin in late spring on a four mile sec- tion of I-5 from 1.3 miles south of Knighton Road to 0.5 miles north of Smith Road. This project is simi- lar to the two sections of barrier previously installed on I-5 and will also include earthwork to flatten the existing median and improvements to drainage. The $1.4 million project is anticipated to complete in the fall of 2011. Installation of fiber optic cable for Transporta- tion Management System (TMS) field elements, such as cameras, changeable message signs, highway advisory radios, traffic monitoring stations and traffic signals will begin as soon as weather will allow with completion this con- struction season. The $5 million dollar project will install fiber optic cable from Anderson to north of the I-5/SR44 interchange and will be followed by a future project to connect fiber optic cable to the Cal- trans District Office on Riverside Drive. The project is part of a long-term communications plan and will begin to establish the basic commu- nications infrastructure needed to allow for better management of traffic through the Redding area now and into the future. Once completed, the fiber optic cable will provide a faster and more reliable communications network for relaying traffic infor- mation to the users. For more information contact Denise Yergenson at 225-3260. Golf tournament to support Corning High School Corning High School Sports Association will host its 4th annual Tee It Up For The Cardinals Golf Tournament May 1 at Sevillano Links. Check-in will start at 7 a.m. and a Shotgun Start for the four-person scramble will be at 8 a.m. Dinner at Carlino's Event Center will start at 2:30 p.m. The tournament is limited to first 144 entrants — 36 teams of 4 — and men, women, singles and families are welcome. Prizes, special awards, and raffle drawing will Tehama Family Fitness Center wants to inspire you to get Healthy • Fit • Strong • and Happy! Compete, support or just attend one, or all four of these events this March. Shape Up Tehama March 5th Free Nutrition Open House & Shape up Registration 11:00-2:00 Free tasting provided by the Riverside Healthy Side Program at TFFC Free Lecture on Happiness March 12th 3:00-4:30 at TFFC Dave Mobilio Bench Press Championships March 19th 5:00pm at TFFC Dog Island 5K Run March 26th 8:30am at Dog Island Park Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498 South Main St • Red Bluff 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com be included. Any intersted in hole sponsorship or in playing in the tournament may call Lisa Nye at 824-1434 or Mike Costanza at 824-8000. Daily News Home Delivery Customers! D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY THE VOICE OF TEHAMA COUNT Y SINCE 1885 ONLINE E-EDITION IS FREE REGISTER NOW! 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