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Friday, November 11, 2011 – Daily News FEATURES Home remedy for plugged-up ears DEAR DOC- TOR K: My left ear often gets plugged up. I cough, clear my throat, close my nostrils and blow. Nothing helps. I don't like to both- er my doctor with what seems like a silly problem, but it's really annoy- ing. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. DEAR READER: I tell my patients that any prob- lem, no matter how small, is worth a call to my office if it affects their quality of life. So I encourage you to give your doctor a call. The most common cause of an ear feeling plugged up is when the outer ear gets blocked by earwax. I'll tell you about a simple home remedy in a minute, but first let's make sure it's not a more serious kind of ear prob- lem. To do that, I'll ask you my "red flag" questions. If you say "yes" to any of these questions, you need to see your doctor. Have you lost any hearing? Are you dizzy? Do your ears hurt? Do you have a ring- ing sound in your ears? Finally, do you have dis- charge coming out of your ear? If you have a red flag symptom, your plugged- up feeling is probably more than earwax. Dizzi- ness, for example — the room-spinning sort that's the main feature of true vertigo — points to a fluid imbalance in your inner ear. And ear pain, rather than a plugged-up feeling, can indicate a middle ear infection. A moist dis- charge from your ear, along with pain, can indi- cate an infection in your outer ear. If you don't have a red flag symptom, the prob- lem may be earwax. In my opinion, only one home remedy for this is worth trying. Get a bottle of hydro- gen peroxide at the drugstore. Soak a cotton ball with the hydrogen peroxide. Tilt your head and drip the peroxide into your ear. You may hear it fizz as it tries to dissolve the earwax. After about 30 seconds, drain your ear onto a washcloth. If this helps, do it two to three more times. Above all, don't try to remove earwax yourself in any other way. Cotton swabs and pencil erasers can break off in the ear canal, a passage that bends and narrows in spots. Let your doctor take a look before you start digging into the canal on your own. One other common, usually minor problem causes a plugged-up sen- sation: a blocked Eustachian tube. This is the small tube that goes from the middle ear to the back of your nasal cavity. If the tissues in your nose are inflamed and swollen, it can block the opening of the tube. This pulls your eardrum inward, which causes a full, plugged feeling. This problem can sometimes be fixed by using over- the-counter decongestant nasal spray. Ears that feel plugged up are a pretty common problem. Most of the time, they have a simple cause and a simple solu- tion. So I think it will be reasonably easy to pull the plug on this annoyance. 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. Entrepreneur training A four-part New Venture Entrepreneurial training series by Northeastern California Small Business Development Center at Butte College that started Nov. 1 is still going. The next workshop on starting up or new businesses is at 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8. Workshops, all of which are at the SBDC at Butte College, 19 Williamsburg Lane, in Chico, continue Nov. 15 and Nov. 22. Topics include new business orientation, market analysis, cost analysis and business plan overview. Learn the requirements for business start-up, how to assess your market and calculate start- up costs or plan for direction and obtaining funding. Pre-registration is required. For more infor- mation or to register call 895-9017. Volunteers needed for CSU Chico museums The Janet Turner Print Museum at CSU, Chico, is inviting people to vol- unteer for two new docent programs. • Gallery Docents will spend time with visitors to the museum after training about the prints in an exhibition, techniques used, and information about the artists. Pat Roux, coordinator of this program can be reached at (530) 342-8276 or mroux@sunset.net • Educational Docents will work with the Muse- ums Education Commit- tee to help conduct field trips for K-12 students from Chico and the sur- rounding area. These volunteers will be trained in the techniques used and will work with stu- dents to enhance their visit to the Turner. This program will be headed by Paula Bush and she can be reached at (530) 343-2880. FREE! •COATS • HATS • GLOVES • SCARVES • BLANKETS • COLD WEATHER CLOTHING Free Goodies & Info Everyone Welcome Verses value veterans' valor Dear Readers: Today is Veterans Day. In honor of our veterans, here is a piece written by John Alton Robinson of West Monroe, La. "Freedom'' From the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier To the silver-haired crowns of our fathers From the shores of Tripoli To the Pacific's pearl- Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar green waters I wish to give a tribute A four-starred salute today For those who fought so bravely For our freedom and American way. We take our rights for granted But they were earned in blue-red blood duty sands Men have fought and suffered And died on foreign lands. So salute this Veterans Day And many more to come. Through blood and guts and glory Our freedom has been won. Dear Annie: About 12 years The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) asks anglers to use special techniques and extra vigi- lance to help conserve California's green and white sturgeon. Both species are caught by anglers in a popular sport fishery centered in the San Francisco Estuary, but anglers need to be aware of special regulations in place to protect the long- term health and growth of the species. White sturgeon are a substantial management concern and green stur- geon are a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. "The state's anglers are on the front line of saving the ancient green sturgeon in our waters," said Marty Gingras, DFG Supervis- ing Biologist. "Together we can grow their popula- tions, save a threatened species and continue year- round sturgeon fishing in California." Sturgeon can be caught year-round and must be carefully measured. White sturgeon need to be between 44 and 66 inches (those that are smaller or larger must be released immediately). Green stur- geon may not be kept. Strict regulations are designed to conserve older sturgeon and ensure that they survive catch-and- release as well. The effec- tiveness of catch-and- release depends in large Don't Miss Out! FREE MEAL SAT. NOV. 12th 8 a.m. to Noon At Bethel Church 625 Luther Rd, Red Bluff Call 527-2151 for more information And courage beyond the call of In France's cold wet mud. Beginning with the Revolution Through the Saudi Arabian ago, my husband started to have all the signs of irritable bowel syndrome. He refused to see a doctor and ended up in the hospital with extreme bleeding. He was discharged after two weeks, and the doctors told him to rest and watch his diet. He didn't. Three weeks later, he was back in the hospital and diagnosed with Crohn's dis- ease. Again, he was told to rest, watch his diet and take his medication. Again, he wouldn't listen. Four weeks later, he woke up in the middle of the night with a temperature of 107. At the hospital, they said his system has been extremely compromised, and he was diagnosed with active tubercu- losis. I am now at risk. He is 67 years old and retired. He refuses to give up a lucrative hobby that keeps him outdoors, even though we don't need the extra money. My health is failing, but it doesn't seem to matter to him. I'm ready to leave. — About To Give Up in Oklahoma Dear Oklahoma: Your husband sounds stubborn and difficult and possibly depressed enough not to care about his health or yours. Try to get him to see a therapist, but if he refuses, understand that you are not part on angler technique. It is common practice for anglers to remove stur- geon, including those that are oversized, from the water for measurement. This stresses the fish, par- ticularly females, and may lead to ovarian follicular atresia, which means they absorb their eggs rather than spawn them. Egg- laden females are routine- ly caught and egg loss can take several years to recover from. responsible for his careless approach to health. Talk to your doctor about how best to protect yourself. Dear Annie: I read the letter from Greg Montgomery Jr., the for- mer NFL player who is bipolar. I am also bipolar. I almost died because I feared the stigma of being mentally ill. When I got home from the hos- pital, my boyfriend showed me an essay written by a woman who was a successful doctor and bipolar. She said mental illness is a disease with physical symptoms that cause men- tal and emotional problems. With the right medication, counseling and support group, you can live normally again, or close to it. Those words — ''it's a disease with physical symptoms,'' just like heart disease, diabetes or Parkin- son's — made me realize I was going to be OK. Please print this. It could save a life. — Recovering Nicely 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. Anglers' help sought in sturgeon conservation In 2010 California anglers reported catching 5,446 white sturgeon (most were undersized) and 151 green sturgeon. Another 73 sturgeon were reported as caught but not identified by species. DFG encourages anglers to use high- strength fishing line to reduce duration of the fight, in-water techniques for measuring fish size and single-barbless hooks to facilitate quick release. Anglers should leave oversize sturgeon in the water at all times and know how to identify an endangered green stur- geon. A flyer on identifying green sturgeon is at ftp://ftp.delta.dfg.ca.gov/ Adult_Sturgeon_and_Stri ped_Bass/Green%20Stur- geon%20flyer%202-3- 11.pdf. For complete fishing regulations see http://dfg.ca.gov/Fishing/. Holiday Season 2011 Flights of Fancy! Special rates apply: Week of November 21 (Thanksgiving week) Through Week of December 26 4x ad "flight" published within 7 days 6 column inch minimum size Same size, art and copy each ad $6.50 per column inch Plus $5 per ad per day for Internet Full color: Add 20% 10 column inch size or larger 4x "flight" series $5.50 per column inch FREE "Last Minute" Jumbo Ads For "Flight" advertisers! • Wish your customers Merry Christmas • Publish a photo of your staff • Or run last minute Shopping specials! Your choice of publishing day Color flight ads receive Jumbo ads in color 1x Flight advertisers: 2x or 3x Flight advertisers: 4x Flight advertisers: RED BLUFF 1 FREE quarter page ad 1 FREE half page ad 1 FREE full page ad Wishing you a GREEN Christmas! For program details, contact your Daily News Advertising Representative D NEWSAILY (530) 527-2151 TEHAMACOUNTY HELP US SPREAD THE WORD 3B (After Christmas & New Years Eve week) P ublished W e ek of December 19 only! Sponsored by associates of the