Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/67879
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES Dad's risky behavior worries grandma year-old woman, and I'm concerned about my year- old granddaughter. When she was merely 4 months old, my son-in-law would toss her up in the air and then catch her. Her head was completely unsupported. When she was 5 months old and the temperature outside was in the 40s and rainy, he refused to put a coat on her. When she was 6 months old, he put her on his shoulders and bounced her around the grocery instead of securing her in the car seat. When she was 11 months old, he admitted that he had tossed her on their bed so she would ''bounce.'' Dear Annie: I'm a 58- Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar son-in-law's behavior is questionable, but we don't believe it's enough to call CPS. The problem is, he doesn't seem to understand the boundaries of acceptable risk. First talk to your daughter. She should make it clear to her husband that he must be more careful. Please tell her also to discuss this with her pediatrician, and you should not hesitate to let the doctor know about your concerns. Perhaps a professional can talk some sense into her husband before he unintentionally causes irrepara- ble harm. Am I overreacting? — Con- cerned Grandma Dear Grandma: Your Last Sunday, I was gently push- ing her in a swing when he said, ''You're not swinging her high enough,'' and proceeded to push her aggressively and to a point where I felt it was unsafe for a child her age. My daughter has told me that he does things that make her heart stop. I believe he enjoys the atten- tion and likes to upset my daughter. I consider him to be somewhat unbalanced. Would this be considered child endangerment? I had composed a letter to her pediatrician, but friends and family urged me not to send it for fear that child protective ser- vices will be called. Yet, if I know these things and do nothing, I'm as guilty as he is. I don't want to lose my granddaughter or my daughter. ing. Does that make sense at all? — Stressing in Kansas Dear Kansas: Your response to this smothering attention is perfect- ly natural. You are indeed still grieving, and Fran's oppressive concern is provoking some resent- ment, not least because she did not get along with your husband. Tell Fran you need her to back off for a while, and then please consider some grief counseling. Your doctor or the local hospital can refer you. Dear Annie: I am sure ''D.B. M.D, Loma Linda, Calif.'' meant well to inform us how to better entice our men and put out more. I work in a salon, and we talk Dear Annie: My husband recently passed away. My sisters and one of my closest friends never particularly liked him, so now they are all suddenly my best friends. The biggest problem is my friend ''Fran,'' who thinks she knows everything about my life and won't allow me to make any decisions of my own. Trying to assert myself around her is mentally exhausting. She wants to know about my bud- get, what I'm cooking for dinner, what I'm doing for the weekend. Every weekend. I was a social bug until I lost my husband. Now, not so much. I attend church, go to work and go home. I have two teenagers who miss their father terribly. I think I'm still grieving and do not want any- one's help if it has to be so suffocat- about sex in detail. The women with loving husbands who are shown respect are happy to give their men plenty of sexual activity. The men who aren't getting the sex life they want are probably not as kind, lov- ing, respectful or attentive to their women. women like sex to start in the kitchen or living room, an hour before it actually happens in the bedroom. And if it does, sex will be enjoyed by both partners for longer than 12 minutes. — W.B. Please help men understand that Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Rights of military and overseas voters The Justice Depart- ment announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with California state officials to help ensure that military ser- vicemembers, their family members and U.S. citi- zens living overseas have the opportunity to partici- pate fully in California's June 5, 2012, federal pri- mary election. filed at the same time as a lawsuit brought under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). The Jus- tice Department filed suit in response to the state's failure to send absentee ballots to thousands of California's eligible mili- tary and overseas voters for the June 5, 2012, fed- eral primary election at least 45 days prior to the election, as required by UOCAVA. The complaint also alleges that the state failed to ensure that bal- lots were sent by the vot- ers' preferred method of transmission (by mail or electronically), as required by federal law. The agreement between the Justice Department and the Cali- fornia Secretary of State provides remedial options to afford affected military and overseas voters suffi- cient opportunity to The agreement was receive, cast and return their ballots in time to be counted. agreement, affected vot- ers will be notified of their options to receive and return their ballots by electronic or other expe- dited methods, and they will be offered the option of returning their ballots by express delivery at no cost to the voter. The agreement recognizes the steps some counties already took to utilize express delivery for bal- lots that were not sent at least 45 days prior to the election. Under the and future federal elec- tions." "Members of our armed forces, their fami- lies and overseas citizens are entitled to a complete and meaningful opportu- nity to vote, and the Jus- tice Department is com- mitted to seeking full access to the ballot box for all voters – regardless of where they are on Election Day," Thomas E. Perez, Assis- tant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The California Secretary of State worked coopera- tively with the depart- ment and agreed to implement measures that will ensure California's military and overseas vot- ers will have the opportu- nity to fully participate in June's primary election said women in uniform make tremendous sacrifices serving our nation every day," said Benjamin B. Wagner, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California. "This agree- ment ensures that military voters, as well as U.S. cit- izens who are overseas, need not sacrifice their right to vote." UOCAVA requires states to allow uniformed service voters (serving both overseas and within the United States) and their families and over- seas citizens to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for feder- al office. "Our fine men and gress enacted the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which made broad amendments to UOCA- VA. changes was a require- ment that states must transmit absentee ballots to voters covered under UOCAVA, by mail or electronically at the voter's option, no later than 45 days before feder- al elections. Among those The agreement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, Calif., also commits the California Secretary of State to closely monitor and certi- fy California counties' transmission of UOCAVA ballots, conduct training of county election offi- cials before the 2012 gen- eral election, provide assistance to its counties when necessary, and report back to the United States about its UOCAVA compliance for the 2012 federal general election and the 2014 federal elec- tion cycle. In 2009, Con- the agreement requires the California Secretary of State to take additional steps to ensure full com- pliance with UOCAVA in future federal elections, including investigating the cause of the late mailed ballots and then taking the actions neces- sary to prevent future vio- lations. The California Secretary of State must provide status reports to the Department of Justice on those efforts. In addition, More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting laws is available on the Depart- ment of Justice website at www.justice.gov/crt/abou t/vot/misc/activ_uoc.php. Complaints may be reported to the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253- 3931. TOR K: I keep hearing about how bad fructose and high-fructose corn syrup are for my health. But is fruc- tose really worse than other types of sugar? DEAR DOC- 3B High levels of fructose can damage your liver DEAR READ- ER: The short answer is yes. I'm not an expert on sugar metabolism, but I'll tell you what the experts at Harvard Medical School tell me. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. Fructose and glucose are the most abundant sugars in our diet. Such sugars are a source of energy for our cells. In the early 1900s, the average American took in only about 15 grams of fructose, also called fruit sugar, a day. Most of it came from eating fruits and vegetables. Today we average four or five times that amount. And almost all of it comes from sweetened foods and bev- erages such as breakfast cereals, sodas and fruit drinks. Human beings have been on Earth for tens of thousands of years. In that time, our bodies got used to a certain diet. Then, in the last 100 years, our bodies have been exposed to much higher levels of fructose. non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It looks like what happens in the livers of people who drink too much alcohol. The breakdown of fruc- tose in the liver also: — elevates triglyc- series of changes. One remarkable change is that the liver uses fruc- tose, a carbohy- drate, to create fat. Give the liver enough fructose, and tiny fat droplets begin to accumulate in liver cells. This buildup is called erides; — increases LDL (bad) cholesterol; buildup of fat around organs; pressure; — promotes the — increases blood — makes tissues insulin-resistant, a precur- sor to diabetes. None of these changes are good for the arteries and the heart. Common sense might say that such a relatively sudden and large dietary change might be hard for the body to adjust to. Common sense isn't always right, but in this case, it is: There is consid- erable evidence that today's high levels of fructose are harmful. Virtually every cell in the body can break down glucose for energy. In contrast, about the only cells that can get energy directly from fructose are liver cells. What the liver does with fructose, espe- cially when high levels enter it, has potentially dangerous consequences for our health. When fructose enters the liver, it goes through a evidence that people who have more fructose in their diets have higher rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. However, fructose has not been proven to be a cause of these conditions. Still, it's worth cutting back on fructose. That's what I tell my patients, and what I have done myself. But don't do it by giving up fruit. Fruit is good for you, and it's only a minor source of fructose for most people. There is considerable refined sugar and high- fructose corn syrup. For starters, that means limit- ing your intake of sugar- sweetened drinks, pastries and breakfast cereals. Instead, cut back on Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. Comments sought Tehama County has submitted the Mental Health Services Act Integrated Plan Update for 2012-2013 for public review and comment for a period of 30 days. The document is available for viewing on the Tehama County Health Services Agency website — www.tehamacohealthservices.net. Copies are available for review at the Mental Health Division's Outpatient Clinic, 1860 Walnut St., Ste. A, Red Bluff; the Adult Services Facility, 1445 Vista Way, Red Bluff; or the Meuser Memorial Health Center, 275 Solano St., Corning. Request a copy by calling Renee Fortenberry at (530) 527-5631 x3018 or by e-mail to fortenberryr@tcha.net. Comments on the report should be directed to John Hermanson, MHSA Coordinator, at (530) 527-5631 x3319 or hermansonj@tcha.net. Medicare and mental health like depression and anxiety can affect anyone's life at any age. If you think you have a mental health condition, Medicare may be able to help. The symptoms of mental health issues include feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness; a lack of ener- gy; and difficulty concentrat- ing or sleeping. You might find yourself losing interest in activities you used to enjoy, or even having thoughts of ending your life. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor or other health care provider. Medicare's coverage of mental health includes outpa- tient and inpatient treatment, as well as prescription drugs. If you get your Medicare Mental health problems benefits through a Medicare Advantage health plan, check your plan's membership materials. Or call the plan for details about your Medicare- covered mental health bene- fits. If you have Original Medicare, Part A covers inpa- tient care and Part B covers outpatient care. Part D covers medications you may need. Part A helps pay for mental health services given in a hos- pital that require you to be admitted as an inpatient. These services can be provid- ed in a general hospital or in a psychiatric hospital that cares exclusively for people with mental health conditions. How much do you pay? Medicare measures your use of hospital services in benefit periods. A benefit period begins the day you go into a hospital and ends after you've had no hospital care for 60 days in a row. If you go into a hospital again after 60 days, a new benefit period begins, and you must pay a new inpa- tient hospital deductible. There's no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have when you get mental health care in a gener- al hospital. You can also have multiple benefit periods when you get care in a psychiatric hospital, but a lifetime limit of 190 days applies to inpa- tient psychiatric care. For each benefit period, you pay a $1,156 deductible (in 2012) and no coinsurance for days 1–60. For days 61–90 of each benefit period, your cost would be $289 per day. cover services by doctors and other providers if you're admitted as a hospital inpa- tient. You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for these services while you're an inpatient. Part B also helps pay for outpatient visits to psychia- trists or other doctors; clini- cal psychologists, social workers, and nurse special- ists; and other professionals. (Make sure your provider accepts Medicare payment before you schedule an appointment.) Medicare Part B helps covered by Part B as well. These include psychiatric evaluation; medication man- agement; individual and group psychotherapy with doctors or certain other licensed professionals; and family counseling if the main purpose is to help with your Outpatient services are When you visit a doctor or other pro- fessional diagnosti- cian, you pay 20% of the Medicare- approved amount. For outpatient treatment such as psychotherapy, you pay 40% of the Medicare- approved amount in 2012. Recent legislation reduced these co-insurance amounts to keep them in line with other types of medical ser- vices; mental health co-insur- ance will drop to 35% next year and 20% in 2014. Part B also covers "partial hospitalization" in some cases. This is outpatient psy- chiatric treatment that's more have to pay the Part B deductible, which is $140 this year. After that, how much you pay depends on whether the purpose of your visit is to diagnose your condi- tion or to get treat- ment. treatment. For outpatient care, you'll intense than the care you get in a doctor's or therapist's office. It's provided during the day, usually through hospital outpatient depart- ments and commu- nity mental health centers. Many Medicare David Sayen Advantage plans cover prescription drugs. If you have Original Medicare, you can join a Part D drug plan. all anti-depressant, anticon- vulsant, and antipsychotic medications. Medicare drug plans aren't required to cover all drugs. However, they must cover all or almost David Sayen is Medicare's regional administrator for California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Trust Territories. You can get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800- MEDICARE (1-800-633- 4227).