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2B Daily News – Wednesday, June 8, 2011 FEATURES Corpulent clan consternates colleague Dear Annie: My best friend, ‘‘Jamie,’’ lives five hours away. She and her husband, ‘‘Bob,’’ are both disabled. Jamie has several chronic illnesses that leave her in pain and exhausted most of the time. Bob weighs about 500 pounds and is immobile and bedridden. They have two teenaged children who are also obese. I recently visited and Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar was appalled to see their living conditions. What used to be messy has devolved into absolute filth — dirty clothes, papers, half- empty soda cans, candy wrappers, dirty dishes and spilled food, topped off with cat urine and feces. I was horrified and disgusted. Jamie’s husband and children treat her like an indentured servant. Bob has a caregiver during the day, but relies on Jamie at night. And he is impatient and surly. The kids whine for Mommy when they can’t find things, and they claim to be too ‘‘exhausted’’ to lift a finger. The weekend I was there, the kids did nothing but eat, sleep, sulk, whine and play computer games. They are two of the laziest humans I have ever met and are totally self- involved. Bob and the kids don’t care a wit about wallowing in filth. I have watched them drop food and garbage on the floor and walk away. Jamie has given up trying to clean up after these three little pigs. I think Jamie’s surroundings are Californians are remind- ed to use caution when using poison baits (rodenti- cides) to control rodent pests this spring. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and County of El Dorado Environmental Management Vector Con- trol have found that careless use of these chemicals has injured and killed wildlife and pets throughout the state. In 2010, El Dorado County and other parts of the state witnessed unusual- ly high numbers of voles, which created problems for homeowners. Voles are small, outdoor rodents that build and use grass tunnels. They are sim- ilar in appearance to house mice, with short tails and smaller ears. Residents should be aware of the dangers that some rodenticides pose to wildlife and pets, particular- slowly killing her. I realize she is a major enabler, and I don’t want to criticize her when she feels so over- whelmed. But watching their lives disintegrate isn’t an option. What can I do? — Frustrated Friend Dear Frustrated: We’re surprised Bob’s caregiver hasn’t called the authorities to report the filth. There’s not much you can do for someone who refuses help. Perhaps you or a group of friends can offer to send over a cleaning service if Jamie is amenable and you can afford it. Beyond that, please talk to her and express your concern without judg- ment or accusation. Suggest that she look into low-cost counseling for herself so she can develop better coping skills. Tell her to do it for the sake of her children. Dear Annie: My mother passed away six months ago. The morning of her service, a cousin I hadn’t seen in more than two years decided to tell me what a horrible daughter I was and brought up many things that had happened in the past. Two aunts refused to speak to me. Grant- ed, my mother and I didn’t have the best relationship, but we had taken many steps forward, and things were better. My relatives live in a small town, and criticizing and gossiping is what they do for fun. Why can’t they let go of the past and look at all the great things my mother and I did in the last several years? I am very ly through secondary poi- soning. Secondary poison- ing occurs when scavenging species eat dead or dying rodents that have been killed by rodenticides. Owls, hawks, other scav- enging birds and predators such as raccoons, foxes, skunks and coyotes are at risk. hurt that my cousin thought my mother’s funeral was the best time to chew me out. — Still Hurt Dear Still: If your relatives rel- ish criticizing others, you shouldn’t expect them to be considerate and kind simply because the circum- stances seem to require decorum and respect. Ignore them. Dear Annie: This is in response to ‘‘Gone to the Gym,’’ who com- plained about the overweight nurses in the cardiologist’s office. Most nurses I know never dreamed of becoming overweight. Unfortunately, they have horren- dous schedules that don’t benefit their health. Many work long hours with breaks too short to do anything but grab a quick bite. Some nurses work 12-hour shifts and then go home to take care of a spouse, chil- dren and household responsibilities. Sleep is a luxury. Numerous studies have pointed to the effects of rotat- ing shifts on metabolism, as well as the effects of lack of sleep on our weight. Most people are aware of the punishing schedules of medical res- idents in training. But that only lasts a few years. Working conditions for nurses last for decades. — No Name Nurse 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, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. Warning about controlling rodent pests with poison species. Pets will also eat dead or dying rodents and unpro- tected bait. Deer may be attracted to the pellet forms of rodenticides. Over-the-counter roden- ticides - including many commonly known brands that contain the active ingre- dients brodifacoum, broma- diolone ordifethialone - can only be legally used to con- trol rats and house mice in and very close to structures. It is not legal to use these products in open areas such as pastures or fields. Even in residential back yards, they are dangerous to non-target Baseline Basketball AAU Summer Basketball Program Open Invitation Tues & Thurs 3-5pm 5th thru 10th grade • Boys & Girls 8week program $140.00 Call Keith Carlson @530-736-6018 3 Tournament Guarantee EARN EXTRA CASH D NEWSAILY Auto Route RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY LOW AUTO RATES Drivers Wanted Red Bluff, Gerber, Richfield areas ✔ ✔ ✔ LOW DOWN PAYMENT LOW MONTHLY PAYMENTS DEBIT & CREDIT CARD ACCEPTED Immediate SR-22 Filings Tired of paying broker & transaction fees? No extra fees here! 527-1833 • www.andy4ins.com License #0530362 900 JACKSON ST. Must be 21 or older & bondable. Call or apply in person Circulation Dept. Red Bluff Daily News (530)527-2151 Lavender bunches from our field Lavender plants from our greenhouse Enjoy our free lavender lemonade! Open Fri, Sat and Sun in June, 9am-3pm Closed Fathers Day 566-2730 for info. Dusty Way Plant Farm Corner of Rawson Road and Dusty Way (5 mi. S of Red Bluff via I-5 – Flores Rd. exit) Details, Map and Coupon at www.dustywayplantfarm.com On June 12th Redding youth (ages 5-16) will participate in the inaugural Caldwell Youth Triathlon! This event will put competitors to the test in swimming, biking, and running. All participants will receive a t-shirt and gift bag. Medals go to the top three finishers in each division. Check out our website for more information and call today to reserve your place at the lower registration fee of $35 (good until 6/8). While you’re there, don’t forget to check out the FREE Health & Fitness Fair, featuring local vendors who are committed to the health and wellness of the community. It will be a morning full of fun and encouragement to get or stay active. Bait products that con- tain the ingredients chlorophacinone or diphaci- none can be used legally to control outdoor rodent pests such as voles, ground squir- rels and gophers. These compounds require multiple feedings to kill rodent pests, so they pose a lower sec- ondary poisoning risk com- pared to rodenticides used to control mice and rats within homes, barns or other buildings. It is important to read rodenticide product labels carefully and to strictly fol- low all use directions. Rodenticides should only be used in small treatment areas close to structures. Be sure to check these areas daily for dead rodents. Col- lect the carcasses as soon as possible, place in plastic bags and dispose in garbage cans with tight lids that other animals can’t open. $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ REWARD OFFERED John Owens, Tehama County Cattlemen’s Association, California Cattlemen’s Association and Lee Loverin are offering $12,000.00 for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the theft of our cattle. Please contact us at 530-520-9399 or 530-527-6332 Tip-line 1-800-671-4327 ANONYMITY GUARANTEED VALLEY OAK RACQUET CLUB Summer Clinic All Levels & Ages with Vern Leslie Private or Group Lessons Tennis 933-3668 Swim Lessons with Karen 200-0013 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. Always wear protective gloves when handling any dead animal. Since 1994, DFG's Pes- ticide Investigations Unit has confirmed at least 136 cases of wildlife poisoning from anticoagulant rodenti- cides. Brodifacoum was the poison most frequently detected. Animal species impacted include coyote, gray fox, San Joaquin kit fox, raccoon, fox squirrel, bobcat, red fox, mountain lion, black bear, Hermann’s kangaroo rat, golden eagle, Canada goose, great-horned owl, barn owl, red-shoul- dered hawk, red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, turkey vulture and wild turkey. More information on protecting wildlife and pets from rodenticide baits is on the DFG website at www.dfg.ca.gov/educa- tion/rodenticide. Cinnamon bark may lower cholesterol DEAR DR. GOTT: Back in 2006, you ran a column in which a gentleman said he had good results taking two 1,200- milligram capsules of cinnamon bark every morning. You said you were going to experi- ment on yourself and report back to your readers. Well, I never saw the follow-up article and was wondering how your experiment went. Can you share your results with me? I’m currently on 80 mil- ligrams of Lipitor every day and would like to try to eliminate that, if possible. Thanks. DEAR READER: I’m sorry to say it didn’t work for me, but I must com- mend you on remembering a column from five years ago. Lipitor is in a class of drugs known as HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, or statins. It is designed to lower bad (LDL) choles- terol while increasing good (HDL) cholesterol. I don’t have access to your lab test- ing, nor do I know your medical history, so I don’t know what you are dealing with. Many people are ade- quately controlled by tak- ing 10 or 20 milligrams daily along with following a low-fat diet and getting moderate exercise. That leads me to believe that you may have a cardiac condi- tion that necessitates lower- than-normal levels or a genetic predisposition to higher-than-acceptable lev- els. Speak with your pre- scribing physician to express your concerns. He or she may shun the con- cept of cinnamon bark even on a trial basis or might endorse a trial period. You also neglected to indicate whether you have modified your diet and incorporated a program of exercise into your daily activity. If you do have a family history, you may have a battle ahead of you; however, if you know your diet is less than optimal, simple changes might be the answer to eliminate having to take the drug. Readers who Dr. Peter Gott would like related information can order my Health Report “About Cholesterol” by sending a self- addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Dr. Peter Gott 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.com/ order_form.pdf. DEAR DR. GOTT: For years, I have had itching in my ear canal. At times, I wake myself up scratching my ears with my nails. This causes abrasions, pain and a buildup of residue. At times, there is a buildup of what appears to be dry skin. I have tried antibiotic and cortisone creams, olive oil and aloe vera, to no avail. Any suggestions? My doc- tor doesn’t have any. DEAR READER: Many things can cause itchy ears. You could have a skin con- dition such as eczema or psoriasis, an infection, allergy, inadequate amounts of wax production, a fungal infection and more. Testing must be per- formed to hopefully find the exact cause. Perhaps you should speak with your primary-care physician to determine if a biopsy of the residue buildup or a course of oral antibiotics or anti- fungal would be appropri- ate. The testing might then determine whether you need to be seen by a derma- tologist for your symptoms of dry, itchy skin or an oto- laryngologist for the pain and buildup of residue. I wish I could be more spe- cific, but based on your brief note, you are exhibit- ing a lot of confusing signs that have me puzzled. Readers who would like related information can order my Health Report “Ear Infections and Disor- ders” by sending a self- addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Dr. Peter Gott 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.AskDr- GottMD.com/order_form.p df.