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Monday, August 29, 2011 – Daily News 5A FEATURES In-laws' infestation intensely intimidating Dear Annie: My hus- band's mother lives three hours away, not far from his sister and her family. The problem is, my sister-in- law has had a bedbug infes- tation for more than a year. She has sprayed the mat- tresses and covered them with plastic, but won't hire a professional. Six months ago, she got new mattresses and living room furniture, but her husband thinks there is still a problem in one bedroom. My sister-in-law's home is clut- tered and not well-maintained. Over the years, they have had several flea infestations. Their daughter has a drug problem, and she and her kids move frequently between local area shelters and her mother's home. She also sometimes stays with my mother-in-law. Our exterminator advised me to steer clear of my sis- ter-in-law's house and not even bring their Christmas gifts into our home. We have avoided visits for more than a year. This is causing problems in my marriage. My husband thinks I am overreacting and believes it is unlikely we can get bedbugs if we visit or invite his mother to visit. He dismisses the facts about how easily bedbugs are transferred between homes, autos and clothing, and how difficult they are to get rid of. Mom is losing patience and des- perately wants to see us and our new grandchild. She claims there Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar are no bedbugs in her home, but I don't see how that is possible due to the frequent exposure. I miss my in-laws, but don't want to risk our exposure or that of my son and his family. How do I resolve this? — Can't Han- dle Bedbugs Dear Bedbugs: We understand your reluctance to expose yourself to bed- bugs, but there also is a price to pay for avoiding your in- laws. You need to explain your concerns to Mom, and then enlist your husband's help in find- ing a solution. Perhaps you could stay in a hotel or with other family members or friends whose homes you trust and meet with Mom in a neutral setting. Or have Mom visit you, watching carefully for signs of infestation. Your grandson can then see Mom in brief spurts. She may, in fact, be bedbug-free, and frankly, as unpleasant as it could get, it's worth the cost of an exterminator if it saves your marriage. Dear Annie: My son and his wife have been married for 20 years. I thought we had a close rela- tionship until my husband pointed out that our daughter-in-law never wishes us a ''happy birthday.'' I did notice that she never gets on the phone to say ''happy Mother's Day'' or ''happy Father's Day,'' but I just assumed she felt uncomfort- able since we aren't her parents. However, during a recent birth- day celebration for my husband, my son and both of his children entered the house and said, ''Happy birth- day!'' Our daughter-in-law simply walked in and busied herself putting gifts on the table. Why? — Bewil- dered Dear Bewildered: It's possible your daughter-in-law has unpleas- ant associations with such wishes and has developed superstitions that prevent her from saying the words. You won't know unless you ask. Mention this to your son and see whether he can shed any light on the subject. But if this is the only flaw in your relationship, please don't make a fuss over it. Dear Annie: ''Midge'' wrote that her group had given a scholar- ship to a young woman who never sent a thank-you letter. Fifty years ago at Michigan State University, I worked three part-time jobs to support myself. Then, sever- al wonderful things happened, one of which was a check awarded by the Faculty Wives. I never wrote a thank-you note. The reason? I was from a poor family and had never written such a note in my life. I had no idea it was the proper thing to do. — Blacksburg, Va. 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. Germ patrol at restaurant play lands (MCT) — The kids may have a blast at those fast-food restaurant playgrounds — but so did kids the day before, and the day before and the day before. So who's making sure they're kept clean? There are no national guidelines, and within states, counties and cities, oversight often falls through the cracks: Health departments may inspect restaurants for cleanliness and food safety but not necessari- ly the play areas. This really steams mother of four Erin Carr-Jordan of Chan- dler, Ariz., who has embarked on a crusade after encountering what she called "unaccept- able" conditions at a McDonald's play land in Tempe. "It was disgusting," she says. "Stuff was smeared everywhere. Hair was stuck in the corners. It smelled terri- ble, and you couldn't see out of the Plexiglass because of the filth." Since then, she's vis- ited play lands at McDonald's, Burger King, Chuck E. Cheese and more in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. She says she's found equally gnarly condi- tions in every state. Wherever she travels, she takes swabs off the play structures — tun- nels and other places where kids put their hands and feet — and sends them to a contract laboratory to be tested for the presence of potentially harmful bac- teria. So far, she says, the samples she's col- lected from playgrounds have tested positive for coliform bacteria indica- tive of fecal contamina- tion, as well as strains of staphylococcus and streptococcus. A woman on a mis- sion, she's even put up a YouTube video about her campaign. Beef 'N Brew Sept. 17, 2011 Downtown Red Bluff Microbrew, vendors Beef appetizers Tickets @ Sparrow Antiques Main St. Are drugs really the answer for 4-year-old? DEAR DR. GOTT: My 4-year- old granddaughter has been given medication to help her "enter REM sleep" at night for more than two years. It was recently increased to 0.1 mg/5 ml or 3/4 teaspoon clonidine at bed- time and 0.5 mg/1 ml clon- azepam at bedtime. What would be the side Dr. Peter Gott effects and long-term con- cerns of taking these? The way she seems drugged and the very deep sleep she falls into concerns me. DEAR READER: Prior guidelines suggested that we experience five phases of sleep known as stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and REM, or rapid eye movement, with one- fifth the sleep time for adults in REM and the remainder in the other stages. MCT photo Erin Carr-Jordan, of Arizona, is crusading against germ-laden play areas at fast food restaurants all over the United States. "Kids need a safe place to play," says Carr-Jordan, a develop- mental psychologist, who is contacting politi- cians across the country to try to enact legisla- tion. How worried should parents be? Though detecting potential pathogens in play lands may sound nasty, these reports don't tell you too much, says Dr. Stuart Levy, a microbiologist at Tufts University. After all, these places are exposed to a lot of saliva and skin, which natural- ly have a lot of bacteria on them. "You can't make a conclusion about the rel- ative danger from the bacteria mentioned" in her report, Levy says. Experts also note that Carr-Jordan hasn't detected dangerous bac- teria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), salmonella, listeria, shigella and pathogenic strains of E. coli and Neisseria, which would be greater cause for con- cern. RED BLUFF COLLISION ✪Windshield Replacement $ starting at 200 ✪ Auto Detailing $ 50 off your 1st visit FREE Estimates 530.527.6160 915 Madison St., Red Bluff Contact with bacteria isn't necessarily bad, says Dr. Carlos Lerner, a pediatrician at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Expo- sure to bacteria helps the immune system develop normally. E. coli in the intestine helps to digest food and produce vita- min K and amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. "What's missing from these analyses is viruses, like the flu and the com- mon cold, which kids are particularly good at transmitting," Lerner adds. Carr-Jordan says she plans to start testing for viruses soon. Four years ago, Illi- nois state Rep. Jack D. Franks began investigat- ing sanitation standards in restaurant play lands because his kids kept getting sick after play- ing there. He found they weren't being inspected by local or state health departments. In 2007, Franks intro- duced a bill to the Illi- nois General Assembly to require places that sold food and had indoor ★ ★ ★ playgrounds to comply with sanitation stan- dards. Though it didn't pass, the Illinois Depart- ment of Public Health ordered local health offi- cials to abide by laws requiring that restau- rants and "all parts of [the] property used in connection with their operation" be kept clean. Still, when Carr-Jor- dan called Chicago's public health department about unsanitary condi- tions she encountered at a facility in the city, she was told the department did not have authority to act on her complaint. "It's really troubling. They would only go in if there was a rat or vermin problem," she says. Though Carr-Jordan's germy-play-land reports don't prove that kids are in jeopardy each time they leap into that cage of colored balls, infec- tious disease experts agree that it only makes sense they're kept hygienic. "They should be cleaned, if not daily, at least several times a week," Levy says. 64 Mulberry Ave., Red Bluff • 527-1755 • Fully Fenced • Onsite Manager • Well Lit Property website: www.americanselfstorage.biz • RV & Vehicle parking now available 8x10 • 10x24 HALF OFF for 6 months * Some restrictions apply. Reserve your spot now! Expires 9-22-2011 AMERICAN SELF-STORAGE REM sleep stimulates areas of the brain. Infants and young children are known to spend more time in this phase. Some experts postulate that this phase of sleep helps the young brain to mature. Breathing during REM becomes more rapid, shal- low and irregular, and our eyes move rapidly in all directions. Our heart rate increases and blood pres- sure rises. It is also believed that we "problem solve" during REM. The American Acade- my of Sleep Medicine has updated the five stages of sleep and now refers to REM and non-REM (NREM). Non-REM is divided into only three stages, based on the EEG. The third or deepest stage of NREM sleep is where arousal is impaired, and sleepwalking, sleep terrors and confusion on awaken- ing may occur. This com- monly occurs during the first third of the night. Sleep and wakefulness are influenced by neuro- transmitter signals in the brain, by medicines and by foods. The balance of the signals to the brain deter- mines whether we are alert or drowsy, and whether we sleep well or not. Many antidepressants suppress REM sleep. Peo- ple who smoke often have reduced amounts of REM sleep and tend to awaken because of tobacco with- drawal after a few hours. 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Clonidine, an alpha agonist, can be prescribed to treat high blood pres- sure and other conditions. It is also used as a second- line medication in ADHD and for children with Tourette's syndrome. One source indicated it can be successful for those with sleep disturbances and hyper-arousal states. It works by relaxing blood vessels and decreasing the heart rate. Side effects include drowsiness, fatigue, a feeling of tired- ness and difficulty sleep- ing. Clonazepam is a benzo- diazepine similar to Vali- um, Zanax and Ativan. It is primarily used for chil- dren with seizure disor- ders. Side effects include those listed for clonidine. Your granddaughter appears to have difficul- ties settling down at bed- time, which is perhaps why she has been pre- scribed the two medica- tions she is on. I am not a pediatrician and cannot pass judgment, but as she is only 4 years of age and has been on meds for two years already, I wish she weren't on any drugs to get her to a particular stage of sleep. I think there might be another issue involved here, and a second opinion by a dif- ferent pediatrician or by a pediatric sleep specialist may be in order. You are in a difficult situation as a grandparent, so you will likely have to tread lightly. Readers who would like additional information can order my Health Report "Sleep/Wake Dis- orders" by sending a self- addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 U.S. check or money order to Dr. Peter Gott, P.O. Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039. Be sure to mention the title, or print an order form from my website's direct link: www.AskDr- GottMD.com/order_form. pdf.