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FEATURES Dear Annie: I often feel sharp bites like pinpricks on different places of my body, especially at night. At first, it happened only in the bedroom, but now I get them while sitting in my family room and even in my car. I thought it might be bedbugs, but an extermi- nator ruled that out. He said he had no idea what was causing the bites and could- n't help. A second extermi- nator told me the same thing, so I was really disappointed in them. But the bites are becoming worse. I'm not imagining them, because other members of my fam- ily have experienced the bites, as well. know we are being bitten. It is unpleasant living this way, and we certainly don't want to spread the problem to others. I am so frustrat- ed that we cannot get this diagnosed and treated. Can you tell us where to turn? — Twice Bitten Dear Bitten: In many states, it is We cannot see the bugs, but we Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar changes to your environ- ment (new shampoo, soap or detergent, recent gardening, getting a pet)? Wash all your clothes, sheets, towels, etc., in hot, soapy water and put them in the dryer. Seal blan- kets and other items in plas- tic bags. Clean the floors and carpets. And now we're going to do the same because your letter made us itchy. close friends. However, these same friends are now expecting showers for their second and third kids, too. I believe every child is a reason for celebration. But I find it tacky for them to think everyone should attend another large baby shower within two years. I am happy to visit the mother and baby after the child is born and bring a gift. But has etiquette changed so much that there are multiple baby showers within the same family? — Still Friends illegal for exterminators to apply pesticides without knowing the type of bug they are targeting. Talk to your doctor, and also see a derma- tologist to find out whether you have physical evidence of bites and can identify the culprits. Some doc- tors consider ''invisible bugs'' to be psychological in origin, but there are plenty of tiny mites that cannot easily be seen. You may also have an infection or allergy. Have you made any A majority of Ameri- cans recognize the threat diabetes poses to the nation's health and have a solid understanding about the disease and its consequences, according to a new survey from UnitedHealth Group. November is National Diabetes Month – an opportunity for people to turn awareness into action and play a part in helping to tackle the epi- demic, which is taking a toll on the health and financial well-being of individuals, families, communities, businesses and the nation's health system. UnitedHealth Group's national survey, conduct- ed via telephone with more than 1,000 U.S. adults age 18 and older, found that: • 92 percent of respon- dents know there is a dif- ference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes; • 82 percent recognize that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable; • 73 percent believe they will not necessarily get diabetes just because it runs in their family; • 60 percent know the Dear Annie: I have given baby showers for each of my Friday, November 9, 2012 – Daily News 7A Mysterious bites plague family's home hand-me-downs less likely) or a couple has moved to a new city with new friends. And some friends host a ''shower'' for the overwhelmed parents, which is also fine. Of course, whether or not to participate is entirely up to you. ''Disappointed in Ohio,'' who com- plained that the husband of one of her friends kept attending their reg- ular all-girl get-togethers. Dear Annie: I read a response to ond shower if the guest list is small and limited to family, very close friends and those not invited to the first one. Also, it's OK if there is a large gap between births (making diabetes epidemic has entered a new era; it's time national actions do the same." To learn more about what Americans have to say about the threat dia- betes poses to the nation's health, visit: www.unitedhealth- group.com/diabetes. Reversing a Pre- ventable Epidemic According to the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 26 million American adults with diabetes. More than 90 percent of them suffer from type 2 diabetes, the often preventable form of the disease. Currently about 35 percent of the U.S. adult population has prediabetes, putting 79 million Americans at risk of developing type 2 dia- betes. UnitedHealth Cen- ter for Health Reform & Modernization research shows that more than half of all Americans will have diabetes or predia- betes by the end of this decade. Dear Still: No, etiquette has not changed that much. The intent of a baby shower is to welcome the new child into the world and provide necessary items for the child's care. With subsequent births, those items can be handed down, making anoth- er shower unnecessary. However, it is OK to have a sec- women who worked at a bank together 60 years ago. We have been having lunch for several years. One of the women developed Alzheimer's and lives in a care facility. When she could no longer drive to our lunches, her husband brought her to the restaurant and picked her up when we were done. After a while, we invited him to stay. We enjoy his company. Some- times another friend's husband comes along, and the two men eat at a separate table and visit, leaving us to have our ''girl chat.'' I am part of a small group of I have a feeling that when his wife can no longer come, we will still invite him to join us. — Omaha 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. Diabetes survey shows disease is largely preventable reduce the risk of devel- oping type 2 diabetes by 58 percent in people with prediabetes. The Diabetes Preven- tion and Control Alliance (DPCA) is an employer- and community-based initiative aimed at tipping the scales against the epi- demic of type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and obesity. The DPCA was launched in April 2010 through a partnership with United- Health Group and the Y of the USA. It has since expanded to include Albertsons, Cub Pharma- cy, Kroger, Rite Aid, Safeway, Shop n Save and Winn-Dixie. definition of the term "prediabetes"; • 84 percent are famil- iar with leading diabetes risk factors including: being overweight (80 percent), a family history of diabetes (76 percent), lack of exercise (74 per- cent), high blood pres- sure (59 percent), high cholesterol (58 percent), and being age 45 or older (48 percent); and • 85 percent have had their blood sugar level tested and know the result. Complete survey results can be found at http://www.business- wire.com/cgi- bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50463 560&lang=en. "By 2021, about 40 million American adults will have diabetes and another 100 million will be diagnosed with predi- abetes – at a cost of $3.5 trillion over the next decade," said Tom Beau- regard, executive vice president of United- Health Group and execu- tive director of the Unit- edHealth Center for Health Reform & Mod- ernization. "Given these figures, it's clear there is a diabetes time bomb ticking in America, due in large part to the esca- lating obesity rates in our country. Practical steps can be taken, however, to defuse this time bomb." Solid evidence has "People are taking notice that we face a pub- lic health crisis in the form of obesity, predia- betes and diabetes, so the opportunity now exists to turn awareness into actions like eating health- ier, increasing physical activity, being tested for risk factors or joining prevention programs," said Deneen Vojta, M.D., senior vice president of UnitedHealth Group and chief clinical officer of the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance (DPCA). "Our national conversation around the shown that early and aggressive intervention can reverse the disease's course for people with prediabetes and reduce its devastating impact on people already diag- nosed. Lifestyle changes and a 5- to 7-percent weight reduction can One or both DPCA core programs, the Dia- betes Prevention Program and the Diabetes Control Program, are available at no out-of-pocket cost to participants enrolled in employer-provided health insurance plans in select markets through UnitedHealthcare and Medica, They are: · The Diabetes Preven- tion Program, which is an innovative coaching program con- ducted in a group setting through the Y that helps people with prediabetes and who are at high risk for developing type 2 dia- betes prevent or delay the onset of the disease through healthy eating, increased physical activi- ty, and other lifestyle changes. It is a year-long program with 16 weekly sessions and then month- ly follow-up. The pro- gram is part of the National Diabetes Pre- vention Program led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and lifestyle · The Diabetes Control Program, which offers private, one-on-one con- sultation with pharma- cists who provide educa- tion and support to help people with diabetes bet- ter control their condition and reduce the risk of developing complica- tions from diabetes. The DPCA programs New Office Hours Gregg R Frey CPA Monday-Thursday 9:00-12:00 / 1:00-4:00 Friday 9:00-12:00 This will be hours of operation until January 2013. Please call if you have questions 527-2910 are based on studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CDC and other federal agencies. Since the launch of the DPCA, its two signature pro- grams have expanded to reach more than 7.8 mil- lion people. To learn more about diabetes and resources offered by UnitedHealth Group visit: www.united- healthgroup.com/dia- betes and www.uhcdia- betes.com. Survey Methodology The national tele- phone poll was conduct- ed Sept. 14-17, 2012, by ORC International using its CARAVAN omnibus services on behalf of UnitedHealth Group. The national sample included 1,007 adults (503 men and 504 women), 18 years of age and older, and living in the continental United States. 657 interviews were from the landline sample, and 350 inter- views from the cell phone sample. Margin of error was +/- 2 percent- age points for the total national sample of 2,012 and +/- 3 percentage points for the qualified national sample of 1,007 at a 95-percent confi- dence level. Teen's saddness may be sign of depression TOR K: My daughter is a high school senior. In the last year she's become extremely sad and uncharac- teristically moody. Is she just a "nor- mal" teenager, or could this be more serious? DEAR DOC- Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. DEAR READ- ER: A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend about his teenage son. Remarking that his son became upset very easily, he said: "I'm wondering if this is normal behavior. Then again, I wonder if there is such a thing as a normal teenager." Many teenagers have lots of emotional ups and downs. But in some cases a teen's sadness goes beyond normal "blues" and turns into clinical depression. It's more likely to be clinical depression when the sadness is severe; lasts for more than a few days; or makes it hard to func- tion at home, school, work or play. It's really impor- tant to recognize depres- sion, since it can lead to drug and alcohol use, and, in some cases, to attempt- ed suicide. Doctors use the follow- ing symptoms to diagnose depression in adolescents: — depressed mood or irritability — decreased interest or pleasure in all or most activities or down) or appetite dis- turbance (increase or decrease) — weight change (up — not being able to sleep, or sleeping too much slowly of energy — doing things very — fatigue or lack — feeling worthless — difficulty concen- trating, thinking or mak- ing decisions Based on these criteria, it can be difficult to distin- guish a normal teen from a depressed one. But as a parent, you can watch for warning signs that your daughter's sadness has behavior changes — anger, agita- tion or irritability — risk-taking — giving away prized posses- sions from social groups — withdrawal — huge changes in dress and appearance — constant boredom — trouble paying attention and concentrat- ing gone beyond nor- mal. These include, but are not limited to: — sudden — extreme sensitivity to being rejected or failing at something — frequent complaints of physical symptoms without a clear physical cause school — missing lots of — trying to run away from home If you notice these or other concerning changes, call your teen's pediatri- cian as soon as possible. The pediatrician can do a basic evaluation to decide if your teen should speak with a mental-health spe- cialist. If your teen ever expresses suicidal thoughts or feelings, take it seriously and see a physician immediately. If you don't see such signs of depression, then you're probably just deal- ing with a "normal" teen. It's the unusual teenager who isn't irritable or doesn't sleep until noon. In the past 20 years, as our ability to study the brain has expanded great- ly, we've come to under- stand that a teenager's brain is literally built somewhat differently than ours. And, for better or for worse, it will be built like ours by the time they reach adulthood. 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. Chico State author publishes first novel F. Jay Fuller, the building and student personnel manager at Meriam Library at California State Univer- sity, Chico, has just had his first novel, "Shadows in Winter," published by the local Cool Waters Press. The book is part of a trilogy, and the other two books are forthcoming. day, Nov. 9, 142 W. 2nd Street, Suite B (upstairs) in downtown Chico. Meet F. Jay Fuller and listen to him read passages from his book. There will be refresh- ments and traditional Finnish music. A reception and reading will be held at 6 p.m. Fri-