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FEATURES Dear Annie: A year ago, my sister, ''Sheila,'' had an affair. She is now living with the Other Man. Sheila and her husband have a 23-year-old son who has been devastated by this. My family believes the boyfriend is simply using Sheila for her money and to have someone around to help raise his teenage daughter. In addition, he seems very controlling. Needless to say, we all object to what my sister has done, but she is stubbornly standing by her decision. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar I will soon be traveling cross- country to visit. I have requested that Sheila not bring the boyfriend to any family get-togethers. Although I wouldn't be so insensi- tive as to invite her soon-to-be ex, I'm not comfortable welcoming the boyfriend with open arms. My nephew will be at these gatherings, and his wounds are still fresh. I am trying to be considerate of his feel- ings. Sheila says I shouldn't force her to choose, and that her boyfriend is her family now. I say that my nephew has been my family for 23 years. At what point do we have to include the boyfriend? Should I back down and let her bring the guy? — Caught in the Middle Dear Caught: While we under- stand your reluctance to accept this man, we urge you to reconsider. Registering your disapproval is jus- tified, but at some point, it can become counterproduc- tive. Sheila is not going to come without him, so your choice is to see both of them or neither. Not seeing Sheila is one option. However, if Sheila marries this man, it will help your nephew enor- mously if he can learn to tol- erate the guy's presence. And it will be easier to do if he has the rest of his sup- portive family nearby, show- ing him how to be civil with- out necessarily being friendly. It will also help Sheila. If this man is as controlling as you fear, someone needs to keep an eye on the situa- tion. ''Linda,'' age 50, is getting married for the fifth time. She is planning a wedding in the town where I grew up, about 400 miles away. My wife refuses to attend the wedding because she says it's tacky and narcissistic to have such an affair for the fifth time, plus it's a long drive. I agree that Linda is rather self-absorbed, and I can only imagine what the guests may be thinking when my sister vows to love and to hold until death do you part. Again. Dear Annie: My younger sister, ple, but Linda is my only sister. I could attend without my wife, but I don't want to tell my sister why I'm by myself. How should I handle this? — Big Brother Dear Big Brother: We think you I agree with my wife on princi- Friday, June 15, 2012 – Daily News 5A Reluctant to include sister's new beau should go, even if it means going without your wife, although it would be nice if she would attend for your sake. If Linda should ask about your wife's absence, simply say she has other commitments. You don't owe anyone more of an explanation than that. Dear Annie: ''Puzzled in Indi- ana'' said his brother refuses to speak to their father because Dad sold the family house when Mom died and built a new one with his new wife, instead of sharing the proceeds of the sale with the kids. My husband and I have been married for 40 years. We both worked and raised our kids. What- ever remains in our estate I expect to be for our children. I didn't work extra shifts for the benefit of some future wife. I would not begrudge my husband the companionship of someone else in the event of my death. He can share his Social Secu- rity and pension, but not everything I worked for. — Retiree in Florida Dear Florida: We understand your position, but ''Puzzled'' said Mom left the house to Dad, not to the kids. In which case, he was free to do with it as he wished. 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. Students show off college colors Probiotics can restore bacterial balance TOR K: Lately I've noticed a lot of TV ads for pro- biotic products, especially yogurt. What do they do? Should I start eat- ing them? DEAR DOC- DEAR READ- ER: Our bodies are home to a mix of "good" and "bad" bacteria. Most of them live in our intestines, but there are bacteria flourishing in many parts of our bodies. You can't see them — they're just along for the ride. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. fits have been seen in the treatment or preven- tion of: So far, the research on pro- biotics has been promising. Potential bene- and fat in the digestive tract. This can be good for patients who need to build strength during and after an ill- ness. — irritable bowel syndrome — diarrhea Sometimes bad bacte- ria that do not normally live in our gut gain entrance, usually in the foods we eat or liquids we drink. These invaders can rapidly cause diseases such as "turista," cholera, typhoid fever and C. diffi- cile infection. Unlike the invaders, the bad bacteria that probiotics are designed to fight normally live in the gut. Hundreds of dif- ferent species of good bacteria help digest your food. Under balanced conditions, these friend- ly bacteria outnumber the bad bacteria. We're beginning to learn that the bad bacteria living in our gut may help cause a number of different dis- eases if they are able to throw the bacterial bal- ance out of whack. Infection, for exam- ple, can make your gut more vulnerable to unfriendly bacteria. Pro- biotics are "good" living bacteria that you ingest to improve the balance of bacteria in your gut. One thing that com- monly throws off the balance of bacteria in the gut is taking antibi- otics for some kind of infection elsewhere in the body. Along with killing that infection, the antibiotics often kill good bacteria. This can lead to gas, cramping or diarrhea. Probiotics can help offset the bacterial imbalance caused by taking antibiotics. Courtesy photo Lassen View School eighth-graders wear T-shirts from more than 30 different colleges in conjunction with one of the projects by Expect More Tehama.The T-shirts, which were donated by a community member, respresent colleges from all across America. awarded a $500 Los Molinos High School Alumni Association scholar- ship; Ryan Mekech, David Gates Jr., Courtnie Connolly, Natasha Madison, Chelsea Mae Bernhard, Audrianna Louise Gillett and Sean Conrad. The association administers a scholarship that is funded by the fami- ly of a past alumni. The following stu- The Los Molinos High School Alumni Association honored 10 grad- uating high school seniors during an awards night held on June 5. The following students were LMHS Alumni Association awards scholarships Since 1993, the association has dents were awarded a $500 Warren Conklin Scholarship; Edward Garni- ca, Carly Sims and Claudia Pena Llanos. The association is composed of for- mer graduates, spouses and communi- ty members who give their time, tal- ents and financial contributions to help the school years after they have gradu- ated and in some cases left the area. The association allocates more than $1,000 a year to the school in dona- tions for various programs, including; sober graduation, athletics, library Herb Drying Class Saturday, June 16 @ 10am fund and other student related activi- ties. given more than $90,000 back to the Los Molinos High School. Information about joining or sup- porting the Los Molinos Alumni Association is available from LMH- SAA at P.O. Box 1031. Los Molinos, CA 96055. The next board meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 23 inside the LMHS library, 7900 Sherwood Blvd. in Los Molinos. Probiotics may also help break down protein — ulcerative colitis — Crohn's disease — H. pylori (the cause of ulcers) — vaginal infections — urinary tract infec- tions — recurrence of blad- der cancer — infection of the gut caused by C. difficile — eczema in children We have detailed information on probiotics in our Special Health Report, "The Truth About Your Immune System." (Learn more about this report at AskDoctorK.com, or call 877-649-9457 toll- free to order it.) more If you decide to try probiotics, fermented or cultured dairy products are a good source. These include yogurt and but- termilk. Other sources include miso, tempeh and soy beverages. The bacteria occur naturally in some of these foods, or have been added dur- ing preparation. Probi- otics are also available as dietary supplements. If you have a problem that might benefit from probiotics, you should consider them. Based on what we know so far, they won't hurt, and they may help. 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. Please call to reserve a seat Don't Forget about Dad Garden Center 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) We have great gift for all dads Red Bluff Father's Day June 17th 527-0886