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Saturday, October 8, 2011 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Relentless rumor represses repose Women's health workshop Dear Annie: More than 40 years ago, I was the target of cruel bullying. A girl who hated me started a vicious rumor that ruined my reputa- tion. She said I slept with the entire football team. If that wasn't enough, she and a car- ful of girls drove by my house one night while I was sitting with my parents and blurted out this terrible lie. My father went to her house and told her to stop, but it didn't help. My own mother questioned me about the truth of it. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar This lie has trailed me my whole life. It has haunted me for years, and I have had moments of self-loathing to the point of wanting to die. At the time, I even went to the police station, but they thought it was funny. This ''girl'' now is the pillar of the community and a do-gooder, but I've been told she is hateful. My question is: How do I get over this? I went to therapy once and asked about con- fronting this person. I was told it was pointless, that she doesn't even remember. This rumor destroyed my life. What should I do? — Strong but Broken Dear Broken: If confronting this woman would make you feel better, go right ahead. However, she seems the type who would derive great satisfaction from knowing how much power she has had over your life for the past 40 years. And you have given her that power by clinging to your hurt. The best revenge is to live a terrific, rewarding life in which this woman is insignifi- cant. You need to heal from this grievous wound, and it requires forgiveness and acceptance so you can move forward without anger and regret. Please return for coun- seling. One session is not enough to work through this. Dear Annie: My husband is a retired supervisor from a local govern- ment job. As a result, we often go to functions where all employees are invited, both the retired and those still working. One of the people my husband hired before he left singles me out and makes embarrassing remarks about me in front of the group, but only when my husband is out of the room. I have tried to politely ignore him and have also asked for some support from my husband. He thinks I should just suck it up. As a result of this unkind behav- ior, I no longer wish to attend these functions. Now my husband is angry with me. What am I supposed to do? — Sad Dear Sad: When adolescent boys had a crush on a girl, they would pull their pigtails. When this man makes inappropriate comments about you, put on your sultriest look, smile and say loudly for everyone to hear, ''My, my. You are really desperate for my attention, especially when my husband isn't around.'' No matter what he says after that, you should respond as if he is trying to hide an infatuation. That should do it. Dear Annie: This is in response to ''Spell Check,'' whose college friend cannot spell and is a special-ed teacher. I, too, am a special education teacher and can't spell to save my life. But it has never impeded the ability of my students to learn. I even use my weakness to my benefit. I announce at the beginning of the school year that I am dyslexic. I explain that if I misspell something, they may politely raise their hand and correct me and receive an extra-credit point toward their next quiz. You should see the additional participation and improved grades! Being a bad speller does not mean I'm unintelligent, nor does it mean I cannot teach. I have earned my degree and my job. — Dyslexic and Proud in Utah In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, St. Elizabeth Community Hos- pital is proud to present Discov- ering Women's Health: More Than Skin Deep at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12 at the Red Bluff Community Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. Two highly regarded health professionals will present criti- cally important information regarding melanoma cancer and breast cancer. Dr. Derrick Adams will present skin cancer information regarding melanoma causes, prevention and treatment. Dr. Curtis Wong will present information regard- ing breast reconstruction surgery and options available to those who survive breast can- cer. Adams Both physicians are offering several treatments in an oppor- tunity drawing worth more than $3,000. This is the second in a series of health and wellness topics presented to women of the Wong North State at no cost in partnership with Soropti- mists International of Red Bluff. Adams is the Medical Director of Dermatology and practices at VITA dermatology and laser institute of Lassen Medical Group. Wong is a board certified plastic surgeon who relocated his practice from Red- ding to Red Bluff and is serving Chico, Corning and surrounding communities. Dr. K helps recent non-smoker fight his craving for cigarettes Q: I recently quit smoking. Although my physical depen- dence on nicotine has passed, I still think about smok- ing constantly. How do addictions like my nicotine craving develop, and will I get over these urges? A: First of all, congratulations on quitting smoking. Quitting is the sin- gle most important change you can make to preserve your long-term health. But it's not uncommon for peo- ple going through the quit- ting process to experience lingering cravings like the ones you're having. Why do these urges stick around so long? The answer, as we'll discuss, has to do with your brain. When a person is addict- ed to something and stops taking it, withdrawal is the first effect. The person might feel irritable, nauseat- ed or easily distracted, though symptoms of with- drawal vary depending on the substance. The symp- toms may last days or even weeks. After the withdrawal passes, the cravings come. And the unfortunate thing, as you've noticed, is that cravings don't pass as quickly as withdrawal. Intense cravings for the sub- Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. stance may contin- ue for years. That's why an alcoholic or another type of addict who's been sober for years can so easily "slip up" and have a drink, and then have to go through the process of quitting all over again. Just about any sensation associated with addiction can trigger crav- ings for the drug, including sights, smells or memories. So smelling cigarette smoke or even walking past a bar may provoke cravings. What's the source of these cravings? The brain. Addictive substances release a chemical called dopamine into the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain associated with moti- vation and pleasure. Until recently, scientists thought dopamine simply registered pleasure in the brain, prompting a person to want more and more of the sub- stance. But new research suggests that dopamine interacts with another brain chemical called glutamate. After exposure to a habit- forming drug, these chemi- cals work in the brain not only to signal pleasure, but also to prompt the person to seek out more of the sub- stance. According to one theory, repeated exposure to an addictive substance causes nerve cells in the nucleus accumbens and the pre- frontal cortex — the area of the brain involved in plan- ning and executing tasks — to communicate. This com- munication links pleasure with action, so the person not only wants the drug, but also turns on the brainpower needed to seek it out. Two other parts of the brain — the hippocampus and the amygdala — store information about environ- mental cues, or triggers, associated with the addic- tive substance. That means the person may use those cues to find the substance again. For example, if a person usually drinks alcohol at a bar, his brain will link the pleasure of drinking with the sights, smells and sounds of a bar. These memories help to create a conditioned response — or craving — whenever he sees, hears or smells those environmental cues again. It's the brain's way of "remembering" that the cue might mean that the addic- tive substance is nearby. This new research is important for people who want to quit smoking, drink- ing or using any other addictive substance. For example, addicts need to recognize that cravings exert a powerful and long- lasting hold on them. People trying to overcome an addiction need tools to deal with the cues — peo- ple, places and things — that remind them of the addiction and might trig- ger a relapse. There are a few types of therapies that may be of help to you. In cognitive behavioral therapy, the therapist suggests ways to avoid encountering addic- tion triggers or to find new sources of pleasure. Self- help groups and motiva- tional enhancement thera- py reinforce a patient's focus on the value of absti- nence. The hope is that new types of associations and memories will become encoded in the brain over time and help the person overcome the addiction. Understanding crav- ings could aid pharmaceu- tical companies and researchers who make medications in helping people to give up addictive substances. One of the newer anti-smoking med- ications, varenicline (Chantix), works in two ways. It partially imitates the effects of nicotine in the brain. By hooking into nicotine receptors, it reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms. But it also partially blocks the effect of nicotine, which reduces the reward- ing sensations from nico- tine. (This is just one of several medications avail- able to help people quit smoking. If you want to try one, talk with your doctor to choose the one that's best for you.) Rest assured that, with time, the urges you're expe- riencing will begin to fade. You've made an important first step toward securing a healthier life, and if you need more support, these additional tools can help you stay off cigarettes. And your story reminds all of us that nicotine is a powerful drug. The easiest way to beat an addiction is to never start using an addicting substance in the first place. Submit questions to harvard_adviser@hms.ha rvard.edu.