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Friday, October 21, 2011 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Changes in your nails aren't always reliable health clues DEAR DOCTOR K: I've always been proud of my smooth, healthy-looking fin- gernails, but recently I've noticed some changes. I have devel- oped vertical ridges in my nails and, although I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, they also seem thicker. Should I be alarmed by these changes? DEAR READER: It's true that healthy people usually have normal- appearing nails. The trouble is, so do most sick people. Normal nails are smooth, uni- formly shaped and uni- formly colored, often with a lighter, half- moon shape under the nail near the cuticle. But even healthy peo- ple can have nails that aren't fit for a photo shoot. Vertical ridges like the type you've developed are found in perfectly healthy people. So are occasional "pits" (indentations), darkened bands, and flatter or rounded nails. That said, your nails can sometimes reflect past illnesses. Some- times you can tell if someone was sick sever- al months ago by the appearance of a horizon- tal ridge or indentation in the nail, called Beau's lines. These lines may occur after any serious illness, including those associated with a high fever or severe nutrition- al deficiency. They may also appear soon after getting chemotherapy for cancer. There also are some nail changes that may indicate an underlying illness, one you may not know about. If your nail changes match up with any of the following, I would consider it a red flag and recommend that you visit your doctor and discuss your symp- toms. Here are a few conditions that can affect your nails: — Lung disease. Conditions such as lung cancer, extensive lung scarring and cystic fibrosis can be associat- ed with clubbing of the nails. Try this: Stick out your index finger and Cattlewomen's Fashion Show and Luncheon November 5, 2011 Rolling Hills Casino Tickets $ 28.00 Deadline to purchase Oct 28th call 529-9679 Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. turn it side- ways in front of your face, so that you' re looking at it from the side. Look at where the nail first comes out from under the skin until it ends. Is it flat, or is it rounded up in the mid- dle, rising and then falling till the nail ends? If it's rounded up, that could be clubbing. It doesn't always indicate an underlying medical problem, but it's worth pursuing with your doc- tor. — Psoriasis. Small indentations (called pits) and thickening of the nails are common in people who have psoria- sis. On the other hand, if you have psoriasis, you will already know it from its effects on your skin. — Heart valve infec- tion (endocarditis). A heart valve infection is a serious condition and can be hard to diagnose. The appearance of pain- less red lines running vertically under the nails may indicate endocardi- tis. Called splinter her- morrhages, they look like splinters that got caught under the nail, except they don't hurt. If your toenails become thickened, dis- colored or brittle, it may mean you have a toenail fungus infection. You don't need to have it treated unless it is painful or just looks ugly. If you have dia- betes, and therefore are vulnerable to skin infec- tions and foot sores, it's wise to get it treated. Though your nails can say a lot about your health, the reality is that doctors usually have better ways to tell if you're healthy or not. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Divorcee's desires defiant? Dear Annie: My wife and I divorced after 25 years of marriage, and she moved to the East Coast. Her former best friend, ''Karen,'' with whom she no longer has contact, is also divorced and still lives in this area. I would like to ask Karen out, and I'm pretty sure she would accept. However, I am con- cerned about propriety, as our fami- lies were quite close when we were all married. We even vacationed together, although there was never anything inappropriate between Karen and me. What should I do? — Sleepless in L.A. Dear L.A.: If either of you has Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar turn off any TV program that makes any reference to love or sex as soon as he comes into the room. I never participate in any pastime that he enjoys. I always make sure I am reading or applying hand lotion when I come to bed. I push him away any- time he approaches me. I never respond to his inquiries as to why he is so repulsive to me or what he could do to make his approaches less objectionable. I don't want it to be ''better.'' I want him to stop. I suggested separate bedrooms, been divorced less than a year, any romantic involvement with Karen will set tongues wagging about what was going on during your respective marriages. If that kind of gossip doesn't bother you, it cer- tainly doesn't bother us. Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married more than 40 years. We are retired, have no debts and are financially comfortable. We have a great family. Due to age and medical condi- tions, my husband is almost com- pletely impotent. But he won't stop trying. I have done everything I can think of to discourage him. I dress modestly day and night. I rarely, if ever, let him see me undressed. I SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Steve Jobs had a disdain for people who put profits first. In an upcoming authorized biography of the late Apple CEO, he calls the crop of executives brought in to run Apple after his ouster in 1985 ''corrupt peo- ple'' with ''corrupt values'' who cared only about mak- ing money. Jobs was often bullied in school and stopped going to church at age 13, according to ''Steve Jobs,'' by Walter Isaacson, which will be pub- lished Monday by Simon & Schuster. The Associated Press purchased a copy Thursday. Advanced sales of the biography have topped best-seller lists since Jobs died Oct. 5 after a long battle with cancer at age 56. According to the book, Jobs never went back to church after he saw a photo of starving children on the cover of Life Magazine. Later, he spent years study- ing Zen Buddhism. As a teenager, he exhibit- ed some odd behaviors — he began to try various diets, The North State's premier supplier of stoves STOVE JUNCTION The Over 25 years of experience COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. 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What more can I do? — Sick of It Dear Sick: Do you object because your husband wears you out trying to have sex when he is not able? Or is it that you simply don't want sex anymore? If the for- mer, we think you should talk to his doctor about available treatments and consider that once ''every six or eight weeks'' could be something you lovingly tolerate. If the latter, you won't get much sympathy here. We know many women past menopause aren't interested, but we believe intimacy is an important part of marriage, and when one partner makes unilat- eral decisions about sex, it leads to trouble. You are being unfair to eating just fruits and vegeta- bles for a time, and perfect- ed staring at others without blinking. Later, on the naming of Apple, Jobs told Isaacson he was ''on one of my fruitari- an diets.'' He'd just come back from an apple farm, and he thought the name sounded ''fun, spirited and not intim- idating.'' Jobs reveals in the book that he didn't want to go to college, and the only school he applied to was costly pri- vate college Reed in Port- land, Ore. Once accepted, his parents tried to talk him out of attending Reed, but he told them he wouldn't go to college at all if they didn't let him go there. Though he ended up attending, Jobs dropped out of the school after less than a year and never went back. His pre- Apple job as a technician at Atari paid $5 per hour. He saw a classified ad in the San Jose Mercury News, went to visit the company and informed them he wouldn't leave unless they hired him. your husband by dismissing his needs. And don't kid yourself. Even after 40 years, being constantly rebuffed and denied can damage your marriage. Please remember how much you love your husband, and reconsider your attitude. Dear Annie: You recently print- ed a letter from ''Lonesome,'' a 65- year-old single woman who was having difficulty making friends. Among other suggestions, you mentioned Elderhostel. I just want to let you know that this organization now has a new name: Road Scholar. Aside from foreign travel, it also offers many interesting trips in the United States. — Hanover, N.H. Dear Hanover: Thank you for the correction. In 2009, Elderhostel changed its name to Road Scholar (roadscholar.org) and continues to offer educational travel opportuni- ties for those over 55. 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. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Biography sheds new light on Steve Jobs' life Jobs' eye for simple, clean design was evident from early on. The case of the Apple II computer had originally included a Plexi- glas cover, metal straps and a roll-top door. Jobs, though, wanted something elegant that would make Apple stand out. He told Isaacson he was struck by Cuisinart food processors while browsing at a department store and decided he wanted a case made of molded plas- tic. He called Jonathan Ive, Apple's design chief, his ''spiritual partner'' at Apple. He told Isaacson Ive had ''more operation power'' at Apple than anyone besides Jobs himself — that there's no one at the company who can tell Ive what to do. That, says Jobs, is ''the way I set it up.'' Jobs was never a typical CEO. Apple's first presi- dent, Mike Scott, was hired mainly to manage Jobs, then 22. One of his first projects: getting Jobs to bathe more often. It didn't really work. 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