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Wednesday, June 13, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES Patrons' pill pilfering perturbs patient eral surgeries during the past year and needed help from friends during my recovery. They have been generous with their time, caring for me and my three boys so my husband could work. They even helped with meals and chores. I have paid them in cash and gifts to show my gratitude. The problem is, I caught Dear Annie: I had sev- Annie's Mailbox two of my friends stealing my pain medications. The first incident was so blatant that I immediately ended our relationship. I then caught the second friend skimming a few pills every visit. There is no mistake. After the first incident, I began keeping track, and it was clear that two pills were miss- ing every time this particular friend visited. I know if I confronted him, he would deny it or blame someone else, so I haven't bothered. Now my pills are locked up, which makes it inconvenient for me. But I can't seem to forgive or forget. I feel violated and taken advantage of and can't seem to move forward. Please advise. — Out of Meds in California by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar make you feel better, tell the second friend that you are aware that he stole your pills. State it as a matter of fact, not as a question, and suggest he get professional help for his addiction. Don't argue with him. Other than an admission of guilt or an apology, his response is irrelevant. This is for your benefit, not his. Dear Annie: My hus- band and I play golf once a week with three other cou- ples, and all of us go out to eat after- ward. We live in a retirement com- munity with many restaurants, but we always go to the same few and always eat inside. I am cold in air-conditioned restaurants, so I prefer to eat out- side. The others say it's too hot, too buggy, too windy, etc., so I never get to eat where I like. I think we should rotate choosing restaurants so we each get a turn to select the one we want. What do you think is fair? — California Dear California: Taking turns is Dear California: If these friends are addicted to pain pills, they prob- ably could not control themselves when access was so simple. You have taken the necessary steps to be sure there is no additional theft. However, it sounds as if you need to get this off your chest. If it will Explore the life of Cali- fornia grizzly bears and investigate how simple objects work with Gate- way Science Museum's summer exhibits opening June 18 with new summer hours, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the North Gallery, visitors will discover the history and life of one of California's most beloved and feared animals, the grizzly bear, with "Bear in Mind: The Story of the California Grizzly." Now extinct in the state, the grizzly has been very important to California's history, so much so that it's the central icon on our state flag. Through this exhibit visitors can explore Dear Annie: ''My Heart Is Aching for Lonely Seniors'' made a plea for family members to visit loved ones who are in a nursing home. I have a suggestion that has worked well for us. stroke and now is mostly confined to her home. We installed a set of nine video telephones that allow Mom to see the kids and the kids to see her. I was surprised how well this works, and the ''face to face'' contact is great. The young kids like to show off for Mom and let her see their homework and projects, and of course, Mom adores seeing them. Four years ago, my mother had a Telephone calls are fine, but young kids don't often have a lot to say. With a video phone (or Skype or anything else like it), the entire family can gather around to wave and say hi to Mom. It is almost like being there. This is particularly good for fam- ily members who live out of state. It's worked out great for us. — G. fair, but it will only work if the oth- ers agree. So, by all means, ask them. But as uncomfortable as you are indoors, you can put on a sweater or jacket to stay warm. Those who have a problem with heat, wind or bugs can do nothing about it. If your golfing buddies prefer not to change the current set- up, we recommend you save your outdoor dining for other occasions. a bear den, create their own grizzly world with colorful books and pup- pets, learn to identify the different types bears that call California home and much more. Gateway's Newberry Gallery has been trans- formed into a multimedia, hands-on learning play- ground the whole family will enjoy. Step into "Explore & Explain," where visitors will see people of all ages from throughout the North State on video screens that explain how they believe simple objects work. While visitors watch an explanation on the video screen, they'll have the same hands-on experiment Volunteers are needed to assist the Bureau of Land Management with rangeland health monitoring on northeast California and north- west Nevada public lands that pro- vide habitat for wild horses and bur- ros. vided wonderful ways to stay in touch. Thanks for the suggestion. 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. Science museum to open summer season right in front of them. They can then test to see if the explanation provided via video is correct or if they can explain it in a dif- ferent way. Visitors will also have the chance to step into a video recording booth so they can film their own explanation of how objects work. New visitor videos will then be added to the those in the exhibit. ley Gallery is "Keeping Company with Flowers: A Glimpse into the World of Pollinators." More than 50 photographs of pollinators in wild and garden settings vividly portray the rela- tionship between flowers and their many kinds of Continuing in the Val- The project will run two to three months this summer in the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area northeast of Susanville, Calif. and the Nut Mountain and High Rock Herd Management Areas east of Cedarville, Calif. Interested volunteers can apply scape descriptions; take pho- tographs, record geographic infor- mation system data, measure graz- ing use of various plants and record information on condition of stream- side areas, also known as riparian areas. by filling out the online volunteer application at www.volunteer.gov and emailing a resume with two ref- erences to dwilson@blm.gov. The complete job description can be found by using the keywords Twin Peaks on the volunteer.gov website. Volunteers will develop land- WILLOWS — Through- out the summer, Forest vis- itors will notice an increase in traffic on Forest High- way 7. Log trucks will be hauling from one mile west of Plaskett Meadows camp- ground east down Forest Highway 7 to county road 306, as part of the Snow Basin timber sale. Forest visitors are encouraged to take extra caution while driving and recreating in this area. • Watch for signs indi- cating truck crossings and road closures. • Listen for traffic and, if driving, open the driver side window enough to be able to hear engine noise that may be approaching. • Leave a good distance between you and cars ahead allowing dust to set- tle for better visibility. • If you are driving, avoid cutting corners and stay to the right on the roads. For other recreation- al uses, avoid lingering on volunteers should have experience working in rugged and remote backcountry conditions, and could have to hike several miles to reach some monitoring areas. Map read- ing skills are important. "This monitoring work is impor- tant because riparian areas are criti- cally important to wild horses and burros and to other range users," said BLM Northern California Dis- trict Manager Nancy Haug. "We Some techniques will require skill and proficiency in scientific methods, while other tasks will require lesser degrees of skill. All roads and watch for traffic. Timber sales are an inte- gral part of forest health and hazardous fuels reduc- tion. "We appreciate the public's understanding and cooperation while opera- tions like this are under way," said Grindstone Dis- trict Ranger Eduardo Olmedo. pollinators. "Bear in Mind" is an Exhibit Envoy traveling exhibit developed in part- nership with The Bancroft Library, University of Cal- ifornia, Berkeley, and Heyday Books, and is made possible by gener- ous grants from The William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Bank of the West. Gateway Science Museum summer visitor hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. The museum is located at 625 Esplanade. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for chil- dren and free for museum members. For more infor- mation, please visit www.gatewayscience.org. Volunteer opportunities in wild horse country need to collect information about conditions and trends in these areas, which are the most productive, diverse and sensitive on public lands. The volunteer work will assist the BLM in expanding the number of monitoring sites in our herd management areas, thus increasing our knowledge about conditions." Volunteers will need to provide Dear G.: Technology has pro- TOR K: Could my diet be triggering my gout? If so, what foods and beverages should I avoid to prevent future episodes? DEAR READ- DEAR DOC- 3B Watch what you eat, avoid painful gout ER: Your diet absolutely can trigger attacks of gout. As you know all too well, gout causes redness, swelling and extreme tenderness in one or more joints. Very often the attack occurs in the big toe, and when an attack hits, it really hurts. I know from personal experience: I have gout. attacks every few weeks. Others go years between attacks. Some people have gout Gout occurs when there is too much uric acid in the blood and tissues. Crystals of uric acid form in the joints. They also can form in the kidneys, where they can cause kidney stones. There are three main causes of the high levels of uric acid that lead to gout: — Your diet is rich in chemicals called purines, which the body breaks down into uric acid. — Your body chem- istry produces more uric acid than that of most peo- ple. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. nephews for the first time, there was more than a lit- tle food and drink. Specif- ically, a lot of beans, oils, anchovies, beer and wine. A lot. After about six hours, I became very aware of my left big toe. And I remembered what I had temporarily forgotten about the effect of diet on gout. much alcohol, and especially avoid binge drinking. My last attack of gout occurred during a day-long family reunion. Along with the catching up, tak- ing pictures, and meeting a lot of young grand- nieces and grand- — Your kidneys do not get rid of enough uric acid, so it builds up in the blood. This can happen with any kind of kidney disease. Also, drinking a lot of alcoholic beverages and taking certain blood pres- sure medicines can reduce the amount of uric acid that the kidneys expel. You can't do anything about your body chem- istry, but you can control your diet. To decrease your risk of gout, avoid purine-rich foods. These include anchovies, sar- dines, oils, herring, organ meats (liver, kidneys and sweetbreads), legumes (dried beans and peas), mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, and baking or brewer's yeast. Also limit how much meat you eat at each meal. Avoid fatty foods. Stay hydrated. Don't drink too Unfortunately, you can still get attacks of gout even if you're more care- ful about your diet than I was that day. However, there are effective medi- cines for preventing and treating attacks of gout. Treatment usually starts with a prescription- strength nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibupro- fen (Advil, Motrin, oth- ers), and another anti- inflammatory drug called colchicine. Avoid aspirin, which can raise the level of uric acid in your blood — but if you are taking low-dose aspirin for another medical condi- tion, it's OK to continue taking it. If your gout attacks are frequent or severe, your doctor may prescribe medication to prevent future attacks. These include drugs that make your body produce less uric acid or excrete more uric acid. Either type of drug must be taken indefi- nitely. But don't forget about diet. Gout is just one more reason to be prudent about what you eat. 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. DMV young driver website their own high-clearance four- wheel-drive vehicles and must be capable of driving in rough ter- rain and adverse weather. is no salary offered, but the BLM can reimburse for expenses including personal vehicle mileage. There More information is available by contacting Derek Wilson at the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office, (530) 252-5306. Operations begin on Snow Basin timber sale Forest Highway 7 will be closed from Alder Springs to the Snow Basin turnoff from June 22 to June 24 for maintenance work. Please use caution and take alternate routes when going to and from your destination. For additional informa- tion, please call the Mendo- cino National Forest at 530-934-3316, or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendo- cino. A new website designed to show young drivers and their parents motoring tips, suggestions, and resources has been launched by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The new site, called Let's Get it Started has been developed specifically with young drivers in mind. The webpage explains how to apply for a driver license, the cost, and specific instructions for young dri- vers. Teens can find out how to make an appointment, find a field office and calculate fees to register their vehi- cle. Parents can learn about their roles and responsibilities including useful information to help young drivers stay safe on the road. In addition to driving safety, DMV also provides help- ful tips and resources on low cost insurance, how to save gas, preparing for college and getting a job. • Checklist for Vehicle Registration • Apply for a Provisional Permit • Practice Written Test • Distracted Driving • Money Saving Tips • Preparing for College • Joining the Workforce