Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/32977
2B Daily News – Wednesday, June 1, 2011 FEATURES Food focus Dear Annie: Our nation’s schools provide the majority of American chil- dren with at least one of their daily meals. Unfortu- nately, more than 90 percent of the school meals do not measure up to national nutri- Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar tion standards. This is worrisome because we know how important food is to the development of healthy bodies and minds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is consider- ing requiring our schools to add more fruits, vegeta- bles and whole grains to their breakfast and lunch meals, while also lower- ing the levels of fat, sodi- um and calories. These measures are steps in the right direc- tion, but to keep these efforts moving forward, our nation’s policymakers need to know they have the public’s support. Our website, www.Healthy- SchoolFoodsNow.org, has information on how your readers can help ensure all students are offered safer, healthier school meals. Now is the time to focus on America’s chil- dren. They deserve a healthy start. — Sincerely, Erik D. Olson, Deputy Director of the Pew Health Group’s Food Portfolio Dear Erik Olson: Those of us who remem- ber school lunches under- stand that expedience and cost were the overriding factors in what was served. While some chil- dren learn about healthy food at home and are dis- ciplined enough to make wholesome choices on their own, many are not as well edu- cated about proper nutrition or have dif- ficulty resisting temptation. Health- ful offerings at school can make a huge difference. We hope our readers will check your website and see how they can help our children grow up strong and healthy. Dear Annie: I am looking forward to my beautiful daughter’s wed- ding. She wants her father, my ex, to walk her down the aisle. He comes from a very dysfunctional family, and none of them speaks to the others. My ex, who is helping to pay for the wedding, insists that no invitations go out to any of his fami- ly. He has threatened to walk out if any of them attend. However, unbe- knownst to him, our daughter has developed a good relationship with her ‘‘Aunt Marie and Uncle John.’’ They have been there for her and con- tributed so much to her life. They even put hours of labor into upgrading her newly purchased home. Obviously, my daugh- ter very much wants to invite this aunt and uncle. Should she disregard her father’s wishes and risk the chance that he will not be any part of her wed- ding? She could ask her stepfather to escort her down the aisle. He has raised her for the past 15 years. However, she loves her father and does not want to alienate him. It is terribly important to her that he give her away. What should she do? — Mother of the Bride Dear Mother: We dis- like it when people issue ultimatums about who can be invited to what. Your ex-husband has put his daughter in a terrible posi- tion on her wedding day. She needs to talk to him, explaining that her aunt and uncle have been very good to her, and it would mean a lot if he would be flexible enough to include them. If he refuses to reconsider, your daughter must decide how impor- tant it is that her father, and not her stepfather, walk her down the aisle. Sorry. Dear Annie: Thank you for printing the letter from ‘‘Kuttawa, Ky.,’’ who has issues with back- ground noise and loud commercials during TV programs. My husband is a sci-fi fan who is going deaf. I, on the other hand, have super-sensitive hearing and can hear a pin drop at 50 feet. Too many times, he complains that he can- not hear the dialogue and cranks up the volume, when the background noise is excruciating to people with normal hear- ing, let alone those like me. Kuttawa is not the only one suffering from the cacophony. — Guelph in Canada 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.n et, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Patient symptom-free with rare liver disorder DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been reading your column for years and have a question about Car- oli’s disease. I was diagnosed with it a few years ago and am currently in remis- sion or symptom-free at this time. I found out I had it by acci- dent when I had a CT scan for some pain on my left side. The technician did a full scan of my abdomen and then over to my right side and told me to see a specialist. I went through a series of blood tests and then an MRI scan. The process took about two months before I was diagnosed. My father and grand- Dr. Peter Gott and the syn- drome. The disease occurs pri- marily in the main bile ducts and is not as com- mon as the syndrome, which is associated with autoso- father are now believed to have had the disease, but we did not know it at the time of their deaths. They both had liver and kidney problems and cancer. I have had my boys tested through a blood test, and they are negative for the disease. I have other siblings who also tested negative for it. They have children, but not all have been test- ed. So far, I am the only one in the family. I went to a specialist who said I might not get the disease/symptoms at all, but if I do, there is medication and treatment available. Any advice would be appreciated. DEAR READER: This rare, congenital dis- ease/syndrome (that affects about one in every 1 million people) is a bil- iary-tree disorder charac- terized by abnormal dila- tion of the ducts that carry bile from the liver. There are two forms of Caroli’s — the disease mal recessive polycystic kidney disease. While the disease is not inherit- ed, the syndrome is, so you were correct in hav- ing your family tested. Jacques Caroli, a French gastroenterolo- gist, first described this condition in 1958. I don’t know when your father and grandfather were diagnosed, but my guess is that there wasn’t much known about the dis- ease/syndrome at the time. Symptoms include abdominal pain and, in rare instances, jaundice. Complications from por- tal hypertension may cause hematemesis and melena (the coughing up of blood or blood in the feces). In both instances, the bleeding results from ruptured veins. Fever and abdominal pain can result from infected bile. As you have discov- ered, diagnosis is deter- mined through lab test- ing of bilirubin levels, liver-function tests, blood cultures, biopsy, ultrasound, CT, MRI or ERCP (endoscopic retro- grade cholangiopancre- atography). PTC (percu- taneous transhepatic cholangiography) is an invasive procedure, but visualization of the bil- iary tree is possible, and drainage catheters may be inserted to divert bile. While biliary interven- tion can be performed, the ducts can be difficult to access. Treatment for Caroli’s disease includes antibi- otics for cholangitis and ursodeoxycholic acid for hepatolithiasis. Surgical resection has been per- formed successfully, as has liver transplant. You are lucky in that you do not suffer from any symptoms. Further- more, you are under the care of a specialist who can monitor you on a timely basis. Readers who would like additional informa- tion on specialists can order my Health Report “Medical Specialists” by sending a $2 check or money order made payable to Peter H. Gott, M.D., and mailed to P.O. Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039-0433. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website’s direct link at www.AskDrGottMD.co m/order_form.pdf. Additional informa- tion for this complex condition can be obtained through the American Liver Founda- tion, (800) 465-4837, at www.liverfoundation.org , or through the NIH at www.NIH.gov. 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