Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/41765
Saturday, September 10, 2011 – Daily News 5A FEATURES MILmakes meetings miserable OTC's may be cause of body odor Dear Annie: I am married to a wonderful man with a teenage son from a previous marriage. I love them both dearly. We now have two toddlers and a baby on the way. The problem is my mother-in-law. She left my father- in-law several years ago for a more exciting life (which has failed miserably). Mom maintains a close relationship with my hubby's ex, which is fine. However, she insists on inviting us to the same family functions. The first time she did it, we told her it makes us uncomfortable, and she had a temper tantrum and asked us to leave. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar wrong in not being more accepting of Mom's behav- ior? We've tried talking with her about it, but she's never been wrong in her life. What do we do? — Daugh- ter-in-Law in Wyoming Dear Wyoming: Since the ex is your stepson's mother, it's best if you can coexist. But if Mom chooses to invite the ex- daughter-in-law instead of her son and his family, that is her choice and she must deal with the conse- quences. If you want to have a closer relation- ship, invite her to your place. Our relationship with her is rocky at best. She often invites the ex to family functions at her home instead of us, and then complains to others that she doesn't see our children enough. Of course, if anyone men- tions my father-in-law, she bristles and says something derogatory. She is welcome to maintain her ties to her first daughter-in-law. But when she specifically chooses the ex's compa- ny over ours, she forfeits that time with our chil- dren and distances her- self further from our family. We don't hate the ex. We just don't care to share every family barbe- cue with her. We have very close relationships with my own parents, as well as my father-in-law, which provide lots of quality grandparent time. Are we Dear Annie: After almost three years with my beautician, I cannot get her to carry on a con- versation. I like the beau- tician's work, but the silence is getting to me. I've had three perms and a cut and set, and the rest of the time I take care of my own hair. What do you think is going on? — The Silent Treatment Dear Silent: Your stylist may prefer con- centrating on your hair rather than chatting, and many patrons would be grateful for the silence. Also, if you have been there only four times in three years, you haven't formed much of a bond. If you are happy with the beautician's work, we suggest you learn to relax and enjoy the pampering. If conversation is impor- tant to you, take the ini- tiative and ask her a few questions that will show your interest. Dear Annie: You have mentioned many times that adoptees should have their medical histories. We and others in this situation have been screaming from the rooftops on behalf of those who were adopted in Ohio during a blackout period starting in the early 1960s. Our daughter has sev- eral medical issues that cannot be resolved with- out this important infor- mation. Why can't we fix it? I'm now 83 years old and have been pounding away at this frustrating issue for 40 years. My daughter needs her med- ical history now more than ever. When will this nightmare end? Will you help to get this word out? — Thousand Oaks, Calif. Dear Calif.: Ohio has an unusual setup, where- by those adoptees born between 1964 and 1996 do not have the same access to their records as those born before or after. The Ohio Adoption Registry can help if your daughter's biological family is searching for her. Otherwise, try Adop- tion Equity Ohio (adop- tionequityohio.org), an advocacy group that you can also find on Face- book and Twitter. 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. DEAR DR. GOTT: I'm a 63-year-old black female. I had a total abdomi- nal hysterectomy at age 38 that left me with one ovary. At 51, I went through menopause and was pre- scribed the smallest dose of Pre- marin. After five years I slowly weaned myself off it. About 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes, for which I take generic metformin, 1,500 mg daily. In 2008 I started applying alco- hol (as recommended by a friend) to my underarms before applying deodorant to combat odor. At that time the odor was infrequent, but now it's an almost daily battle. It doesn't seem to be brought on by anything specific. I currently carry a small piece of soap that I apply dry whenever I detect the odor. It works well, but not all situations allow me to sneak off to apply it. Dr. Peter Gott I believe the cause of your underarm odor are your OTC vitamins and supplements. You are currently tak- ing a multivitamin, iron, magne- sium, calcium, zinc, a B complex, vitamin C, a low-dose aspirin and krill oil. The iron, magnesium, zinc, B complex and vitamin C — on top of the multivitamin — are overkill. You are likely receiving more than enough through your multivitamin and diet. The low-dose aspirin was likely recommended by your physician in conjunction with your cholesterol- lowering med and anti-hypertensives. Finally, krill oil. This provides omega I'm also on the following prescriptions: glimepiride, Norvasc, Enalapril, Synthroid, Vytorin and atenolol. My over-the-counters include a multivitamin, iron, Ester-C, calci- um, magnesium, zinc, B complex, krill oil and an 81 mg aspirin. I eat right most of the time, exercise three to four times a week on a treadmill and keep my diabetes under control. My last A1c was 6.1. What do you think? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. DEAR READER: Before I tell you what I believe the problem to be, I want to review your prescribed medications. Metformin and glimepiride are used to control diabetes. Norvasc, Enalapril and atenolol are used pri- marily for the treatment of hypertension. Synthroid is for low thyroid levels. Vytorin is a combination cholesterol-lowering med- ication. Given this combination of medications, you have hypothyroidism, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and hypertension or a heart condition that requires your blood pressure and cholesterol to be well con- trolled. I cannot say whether one or a combina- tion of these is the cause of your underarm odor, but it is possible. Several can cause hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), which can lead to increased odor. Of note is that the simvastatin portion of Vytorin can cause diabetes. You have been taking any of your prescriptions, so I cannot say whether this is a possibility in your case, but if you started the Vytorin prior to devel- oping diabetes, it may be something to look into. PR I C E SALE Save An Additional $ 50 off Save An Additional On All Lay-Z-Boy Recliners Save An Additional $200 off $100-$ Any Sofa & Loveseat Set Save An Additional $ Any TV Console Save An Additional 50 off $100 off Any Mattress Set Serta, Simmons, Natura, Cannon ($499 & up) D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9-11 Nearly 3,500 people lost their lives on September 11, including hundreds of firefighters who entered the towers in response to the attack. Many other first responders have subsequently fallen ill or died due to respiratory illnesses from inhaling toxic fumes and smoke at Ground Zero. For the last several years, rebuilding efforts have been underway in NYC. 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Save An Additional All Dinette/Dinning Sets ($499 & up) $100 off 400 Save $ On Ergo Tempurpedic Beds 300 Off On Bedroom Sets Save An Additional $200 off Any Sectional Save An Additional $ 50 off Any Glider Rocker Free Delivery with minimum purchase* 12 Months 0% Financing on approval of credit Furniture DEPOT 235 So. Main St., Red Bluff (530) 527-1657 MON.-FRI. 9:00-6:00 • SAT. 9:00-5:00 SUN. 11:00-5:00 3's. I cannot say whether this is contributing to your underarm odor, but it may be, because it carries many of the same side effects of fish oil. Omega 3's can also be obtained from flaxseed, flaxseed oil, fish oil, wild salmon, arctic char and mackerel. My advice? Stop the extra supplements. The multivitamin and a well-balanced diet should cover your vitamin and mineral needs. Switch to omega 3 flaxseed oil. Elim- inate foods that cause body odor, such as ramps, garlic, curry and onions. The soap may also be adding to the problem by clog- ging your pores because it is not being rinsed off. If the odor remains after a reasonable period of time, perhaps two weeks, speak with your doctor. There may be an underly- ing cause. If not, he or she can refer you to a dermatologist or other appropriate special- ist, or prescribe a stronger deodorant. Readers who are interested in learning more can order my Health Report "Vitamins and Minerals" 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. DEAR DR. GOTT: My wife and I used to use the smaller bars of soaps from motels for leg cramps in bed; however, when we turned over, the bars were no longer under our legs and we would sometimes get cramps. We solved this by grating the soap directly onto the lower portion of the mat- tress under the sheet. It seems to work no matter where we lie on the mattress. DEAR READER: Thank you for shar- ing this helpful tip. I am passing it on to my readers in the hopes that it will help some of them as well.