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Thursday, April 15, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES The skinny on ichthamol DEAR DR. GOTT: Recently, you responded to a reader’s ques- tion regarding a drawing salve used by her entire family. The product resembled a Tootsie Roll. Your response was that she was likely looking for ichthammol and should request the product from her local pharmacy. Well, I asked my phar- macist for this but was told they no longer make it because they found it harmful. Now what? DEAR READER: Once the article appeared in newspapers, my website was filled with responses from readers regarding this salve. Dr. Peter Gott hospitals were few and far between and people relied on home remedies. People in those days often used herbs and plants they knew grew nearby or on their farms. And they were more active in their own cures and health than nowadays.” A Nebraska gentle- man indicated the salve sounds like something his grandmother used to make many years ago. The sticks looked like hard Tootsie Rolls. He has used it many times, and it does draw out slivers much better and faster than the ichtham- mol ointment men- tioned. One woman from North Carolina indicat- ed her grandfather called it “grisly salve.” You would heat the end of the stick and apply the product to a ban- dage. And it is not made in that form anymore. Another woman from Wisconsin indicated that the local Walgreens told her the product has not been manufactured for many years. She subse- quently went online and learned that while Wal- greens had not carried the product, it is avail- able in health-food stores. A reader from Okla- homa indicated the drawing salve is PRID, manufactured by Walker Pharmaceutical Co. in St. Louis, Mo. She got her supply from the Ver- mont Country Store. A woman from Ver- mont stated the name is Griswold Salve, made in Hartford, Conn. It was taken off the market because of its high lead content. “Too bad,” she said. “It worked great.” A gentleman from New Hampshire is sure it is Hardy’s Salve. He’s 74 years old and grew up with it because his grandfather used it, swore by it, and applied it to his grandson’s vari- ous scrapes when need- ed. His grandfather was from Cornish, N.H., where it was made. While it was once readi- ly available, he has not seen it on the shelves of pharmacies for years. The amber-colored salve was crystalline in nature and melted easily when a lighted match was held to it. The stuff dripped into a teaspoon, from which it could be applied directly to the spot as needed. “Anyway, it was great stuff. All this was in the days when doctors and PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT ✓ ❏Re-Elect GREGG COHEN TEHAMA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Choice Top Sirloin The recipe was passed down to him, but he doesn’t believe the ingredients are available anymore, and his supply of rolls, which he has kept for many years, is running low. The recipe calls for 2 pounds rosin, 4 ounces beeswax, 1 ounce cedar oil, 2 ounces mutton tal- low and 2 ounces British oil. Melt the rosin, wax and mutton tallow over a hot fire. Stir in the oils. Pour it into a pan of cold water. When it’s cool enough, pull for a half hour. Roll and cut into sticks. I called several of my local pharmacies and was told the product is available. It can also be purchased through sev- eral websites. The active ingredient — ammoni- um bituminosulfonate — is natural, obtained in the first step by dry dis- tillation of sulfur-rich oil shale. It is used as a remedy for acne, eczema, psori- asis and in a 10 percent or 20 percent concen- trate as a drawing salve. While it doesn’t “draw,” it softens the skin over a boil or splinter, allowing the boil to come to a head sooner and the splinter to expel itself from the body. It also decreases microorgan- isms in and around the site. So there you have it, folks. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com. Jack the Ribber • Ribs •Tri-Tip • Pulled Pork • Specials Mon.-Fri. 11am-8pm Sat. 5-9pm 1150 Monroe St. 527-6108 Miserable in rushed remarriage Dear Annie: I was mar- ried for 34 years and divorced two years ago. Within months, I married ‘‘Sam,’’ who I met through an Internet dating site. He treated me like I was all he cared about in this world. Now I’ve discovered he drinks six to eight bottles of beer every evening. He also does not communicate with me at all, or uses pro- fane and offensive lan- guage and says I’m an idiot. Sam told me he would pro- vide for us in our old age with a pension and life insurance, but I’ve learned he has neither, and he tells me he can’t afford it. He is a totally different person from the man I fell in love with. I am hurt, lonely and scared. Sam is 61 and retired. I am 55. I don’t expect him to be with me 24/7, but he’s never there at all. I am going through counseling alone. He won’t go because he says there is nothing wrong with him. When I try to talk to him, he starts an argument and then storms out. I am constant- ly walking on eggshells. I am on disability, but a friend has made a tentative offer to take me in if I decide to leave. I have never lived on my own. I might add that I must have been blind. This man was married five times before me. He made me laugh all the time, and I never felt so happy. I was stu- pid. Any suggestions? — Scared Dear Scared: You weren’t stu- pid. You were lonely and vulnera- Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar ble. If you are unhappy and anxious being married to Sam, please consider a sepa- ration while you work with your counselor on becoming less dependent on others. You are still young enough to change the direction of your life and find a positive outcome. Dear Annie: I am a 22- year-old gay male and feel like none of my friends care about me. They invite me over because I am funny. They tell stories at my expense, but if I have a serious issue, no one wants to hear it or offer sympathy. Four of my closest friends recently moved out of state for col- lege, work, etc. I’ve made an effort to get to know my peripheral friends individually, but after making plans to see a movie and not getting a call back and similar such things, it feels as if I am forcing friendships with people who are already part of an inner circle that excludes me. I was also raped a few months back and confided in a few of these newer friends, but no support was offered. As a result of the assault, I am awaiting the results of an HIV test, but no one seems worried. However, another member of the group just broke up with his girl- friend and got an amazing reaction. My mind feels fractured, and I have resorted to cutting. Sometimes I hope they can see the marks, but nothing is said. What can I do? — Wanting Someone To Care Dear Wanting: You are crying for help, but unfortunately, your ‘‘friends’’ think you are only look- ing for attention. Rape is serious and, along with the cutting, merits professional help. Please ask your doctor to refer you to someone. Dear Annie: ‘‘Little Sister’’ said her parents are helping her out financially, which has enraged her older, more successful sister. I am the big sister in my family, and my parents did similar things to help out my younger brother. While I understand the feelings of jealousy and sibling rivalry, I am also a mature adult. Big Sister needs to grow up and realize it’s her parents’ money and they can do what they wish with it. My life is more peace- ful and happy since I let go of my own jealousy. By the way, my brother is now pursuing a graduate degree at seminary. — Proud Big Sister Dear Big Sister: Your brother is fortunate to have such a caring, sen- sible sister. Kudos. Annie’s Snippet for Income Tax Day (credit Mark Twain): The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. 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. Shasta College to graduate Pharmacy Techs The Shasta College Economic & Workforce Development Division is proud to announce the Pharmacy Technician Class of 2009 will be graduating at 10 a.m. on April 24. The ceremony will be at the downtown Red- ding campus, 1400 Mar- ket St. In addition to the graduating students, 150- 200 people from the community, which includes supporting the program. The college offers this opportunity for future Pharmacy Technicians. In fact, in concert with Boston Reed College, Shasta is the only accredited college that offers this program north of Sacramento. While Shasta is a local academic institution, it offers the residents of Northern California the opportunity to obtain a Pharmacy Technician licenses that are required in California. From recent reports, this pro- gram offers good poten- tials for jobs. The 2009 Department of Labor report has pro- jected a 32 percent increase in employment for Pharmacy Technicans by the year 2016 and has stated "Pharmacy Tech- nician jobs will grow much faster than the average occupation." U.S. Federal News on Sept. 30, 2009, reported that Pharmacy jobs will increase by 42 percent over the next 16 years. relatives, friends and Pharmacy Managers and Pharma- cists — as a participating externship — have been invited. After two years of effort, the division has a sustainable program that has been well accepted by the local pharmacy community as exempli- fied by the number of externship site pharmacy partners that have step up to participate in the pro- gram. 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