Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/73939
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES Moving beyond alcohol-fueled violent night dating ''Dayna'' for eight months, and we moved in together three months ago. We fell in love from the moment we met. Dear Annie: I've been guy. However, two months ago I made a mistake. I went out drinking with friends and was dropped off at home so drunk that I briefly blacked out. I got into an argument with Dayna and apparently gave her a black eye. I spent a month in jail on domestic battery charges. To my surprise, she did not break up with me, although we no longer live together. We each moved back in with our parents. I know our relationship was I'm normally a calm Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar from this horrific nightmare? — Sad and Depressed Dear Sad: You need to rebuild guy who dealt with prob- lems by drinking because that's what my family did. I'm determined to break the cycle and have made the first step toward that goal. I see life differently now, and all I want to do is make Dayna happy again. I know it will take time, but I'm determined to make it right with her and her family. I love my girlfriend and hope to marry her one day. How do we bounce back moving too fast, but I believe in my heart that Dayna is the one for me. On the night of the incident, I had so much alcohol in my system that I'm pretty sure I would have fought with anyone who crossed my path. Currently, I am enrolled in court- ordered classes on domestic vio- lence. Although I know I don't deserve her anymore, Dayna is still by my side, and I feel blessed for that. I made a promise to God while in jail to put the bottle down for good. I lost my job because of it, and it could have cost me my girl- friend. I'm not that person anymore. Alcoholism runs in my family. I'm a 27-year-old college-educated Dayna's trust. We are glad that you acknowledge your drinking prob- lem and have taken steps to over- come it so you don't repeat your mistakes. Dayna needs to know that you will remain sober over the long haul, through good and bad, and this takes much more time. Find a job, get your own place, live a solid life, and prove to Dayna that you are a man she can respect. Dear Annie: I have been a widow for 12 years and am now engaged to a wonderful man. I want to invite my close friends and fami- ly to our wedding. Do I also need to invite my late husband's brother and sisters? It would make me sad to think about my late husband with my fiance's family there. — Indiana Dear Indiana: If you are close to your late husband's family, they would undoubtedly appreciate an invitation and would be hurt if you excluded them. But if you believe they would not want to come or could not enjoy themselves, it's per- fectly OK to send an announcement instead. Dear Annie: I had to respond to the letter from ''New Jersey,'' who is upset that her son's girlfriend does not clear her plate or say ''thank you'' for gifts. Our son's wife was exactly the same, and initially, I was equally appalled at her lack of manners. As time went on, I realized that our daughter-in-law is a sweet girl who grew up in a family where she had no modeling of these social behav- iors. She simply didn't know what was expected or required. I started asking her for help with the small tasks involved in putting on a meal, and she happily com- plied. Over time, she began to catch on to these social conventions. She has come a long way, and we love her for all she does to make our son happy. — Pleased Mother-in-Law 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. Facebook vote to donate $100,000 Raley's Family of Fine Stores announced recently the return of its NickelAid campaign with a twist – consumers will vote on which of the four designated non- profits will benefit from the program. NickelAid was launched in June 2011 at Raley's, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source stores throughout Northern California and Nevada to raise money for state parks and recre- ation areas in both states in response to drastic funding cuts. In the fol- lowing months $100,000 was raised through the campaign. Through NickelAid, every time a customer uses a reusable grocery bag – paper, plastic or canvas – at any Raley's, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods or Food Source stores, the com- pany donates 5 cents per bag to the benefitting charity. To ensure that 100 percent of the pro- ceeds are available to the charity, Raley's absorbs all administrative fees related to the effort. Recently, the Califor- nia State Parks Capital District announced that the Governor's Mansion had been removed from the state parks closure list due, in part, to the $75,000 NickelAid dona- tion. In May, a $25,000 NickelAid donation was made to the Nevada Divi- sion of State Parks to help build a new trail- head at Lahontan State Recreational Area and purchase new picnic tables at Sand Harbor State Park. Facebook app hosted on www.Facebook.com/Ral eys. The organizations eli- gible for selection as the NickelAid beneficiary in 2012-13 are: "The response from our customers to Nicke- lAid has been over- whelming so we want to recognize that by provid- ing them with a voice in which charity will bene- fit from their efforts in the coming year," said Jennifer Teel-Wolter, community relations manager. "The voting period is short but the impact is huge so we encourage everyone to visit Raley's Facebook page and vote for the charity of their choice." Participants can vote once per day now through Monday, July 16. The winning organi- zation will be announced on Wednesday, July 18. Once the funds are raised and the check is presented to the selected organization, the Nicke- lAid funds must be used by the organization locally to benefit North- ern California and Northern Nevada. To vote, visit the NickelAid • American Heart Association — The American Heart Associ- ation is the nation's old- est and largest non-profit association devoted to building healthier lives, free from cardiovascular disease and stroke — America's No. 1 and No. 4 killers. The organiza- tion teams with millions of volunteers to fund innovative fight for stronger public health policies and pro- vide lifesaving resources to prevent and treat these diseases. For more infor- mation, please visit www.heart.org research, and distribution of life- saving blood products; health and safety educa- tional programs; and international relief and development programs. For more information, please visit www.red- cross.org. • Boys and Girls • American Red Cross - Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the Ameri- can Red Cross has been the nation's premier emergency response organization. Clubs - An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Young people need to know that someone cares about them. Boys & Girls Clubs offer that and more. Club programs and services promote and enhance the devel- opment of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. For more information, please visit www.bgca.org. TOR K: I thought I just had severely dry skin, but it turns out I have psoriasis. Can you tell me more about this condition and my treatment options? DEAR READ- ER: Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disorder. A person's immune system mistakenly attacks his or her own skin. Psoriasis causes inflam- mation and flaky, silvery white patches on the skin. It can also cause itching. Pso- riasis is a chronic disorder, but symptoms may come and go. DEAR DOC- The most common type of psoriasis is plaque psori- asis, characterized by rounded or oval patches (plaques) of affected skin. They are usually red and covered with thick, silvery scales. Most often, the plaques occur on the elbows, knees, scalp or near the buttocks. They may also appear on the trunk, arms and legs. Many people with psori- asis also have thick finger- nails with small pits in their nails. riasis, but there are many effective treatments. They depend on the type of psori- asis and the amount and location of affected skin. Topical treatments are applied directly to the skin. — Softening creams are used daily as part of skin care. There is no cure for pso- — Corticosteroid creams, lotions and oint- ments damp down the immune system's attack on the skin. 3B Treatments to relieve severe psoriasis Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. where it is activated by the UVA rays. Phototherapy is light therapy for extensive psoriasis. — PUVA com- bines a type of ultraviolet light called UVA with a medicine that trav- els through the blood to the skin, — Salicylic acid is used to remove scales. allows higher amounts of UV light to be used. Vitamin A derivatives are used to treat moderate to severe psoriasis involving large areas of the body. The most widely used is acitretin. These medicines can adversely affect a fetus, and therefore should not be used by women in their child-bearing years. work by suppressing the immune system. They are used to treat moderate to severe psoriasis involving large areas of the body. Biologic therapies are Immunosuppressants — Laser treatment newer agents used when other treatments don't work. They act against substances made by the immune sys- tem that cause inflamma- tion. Biologics must be injected rather than taken as a pill. For many patients, these treatments are the most potent of all. (Dovonex) has effects like vitamin D, and slows pro- duction of skin scales. — Tazarotene (Tazorac) is a synthetic vitamin A derivative that quiets the immune attack. — Calcipotriol — Coal tar also seems to quiet the immune attack, and often is used in combi- nation with another treat- ment. tion to domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers compas- sionate services in five other areas: community services that help the needy; support for mili- tary members and their families; the collection In addi- • California and Neva- da State Parks Founda- tions - California and Nevada State Parks com- prise protected areas including state parks, state historic sites, and state recreation areas, which are utilized annu- ally by millions of local residents. There are cur- rently 303 state park units open in the partner- ship between California and Nevada. For more information, please visit www.parks.ca.gov. Insurer to donate for each quote Seventy of California's 279 parks were slated for long-term closure due to budget cuts. In response to this dire situation, AAA Northern California is teaming up with the California State Parks Foundation to provide much needed funding to the cash-strapped California state parks system. Through Aug. 30, AAA Northern California's "Summer Road Trip" campaign will donate $5 to the Cali- fornia State Parks Foundation for each AAA Insurance quote completed with- in a AAA branch office. Getting a quote is free. The money will help support the California State Parks Foundation's "Answer the Call" cam- paign. The campaign is working to help stop the closure of 70 California state parks, while creating a bold vision to safeguard, strengthen, and sustain parks through new models of excellence in the future. "You can help save your parks by visiting your local AAA branch and becoming a part of the AAA 'Summer Road Trip' campaign that will benefit our historical California parklands," said Paul Gaffney, president and CEO of AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah. "AAA is deeply committed to the legacy and the preservation of our unique natural, cultural and histor- ical resources. We are honored to be the corporate sponsor with the Cali- fornia State Parks Foundation in this effort." With its 130,000 members, the Cal- ifornia State Parks Foundation is the only independent nonprofit organiza- tion dedicated to protecting, enhanc- ing, and advocating for California's magnificent state parks. For more information about the California State Parks Foundation, visit calparks.org. "We are thrilled to partner with AAA on its 'Summer Road Trip' cam- paign," said Elizabeth Goldstein, pres- ident of the California State Parks Foundation. "Our state parks are an amazing resource for tourists and those traveling this summer. The Road Trip campaign with AAA is very fit- ting. Although many of the 70 parks on the list have short-term reprieve from closure, the entire system remains threatened. AAA's generous donation to CSPF will enable us to work to help keep threatened parks open." Visit mag70.calparks.org for full page photographs, videos and stories about the 70 California state parks AAA is helping to save. AAA Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and consumer discounts to over 4 mil- lion members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and securi- ty of all travelers since it was founded more than 100 years ago. Gleaners day, July 18, Food Bank, 20699 Walnut St. Gleaners will distribute food as follows in July: • Corning, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, July 18, Corning Senior Center, 1015 Fourth Ave. • Red Bluff, 8 a.m. to noon, Wednes- Monday, July 16, Recreation Center. • Los Molinos, 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, July 17, Mason- ic Hall, 25020 Tehama Vina Road. • Rancho Tehama, noon to 2 p.m., All other sites in the county will be at the usual times and places. Applications for food bank cards may be on the day of giveaway. Bring large paper or plastic bags if possible. All income must be reported. Income is gross monthly per household not net. Only one card will be issued per household. every year or two may pre- vent some treatments from losing their effectiveness and decrease the risk of side effects. Fortunately, most people with psoriasis do not have a severe case. For them, the older treatments work well. And for patients with severe psoriasis, the immunosup- pressants and biologic ther- apies provide great relief. Switching treatments 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.