The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 8

8 Monday, December 12,1988 Living Today The Salina Journal Hard-of-hearing readers speak up Dear Ann Landers: May I put in my two cents' worth concerning the woman from La Porte, and her hard-of-hearing mother-in-law? My mother was hard of hearing and I remember how impatient I was. She would say, "Please stop mumbling" and I would blow up. My dad used to holler at her from the next room and she couldn't hear a word. Naturally it was annoying and then there would be a fight. Mom has been dead 10 years and I have inherited her hearing problem.

(Mine started at the same age hers did, 50). How I wish she was around so I could apologize for my sharp tongue and lack of understanding. Not being able to hear is plain hell and no one can understand it completely until it happens to them. Mason City, Iowa Dear Mason: Thanks for telling it like it is. So did thousands of others.

From St. Louis, Look, dumbbell, stop telling people to get a hearing aid. I have three in my drawer and not one of them is worth a Ann Landers LOS ANGELES TIMES hoot. When I took the last one in to be fixed I was told that my hearing problem cannot be helped with an aid. What I want to know is why they sold me three with the promise that they would "open a whole new world" to me.

I guess I shouldn't be mad at them. They are in business to sell hearing aids, and if they can catch a sucker three times, good for them. Hutchinson, Why are people so bloomin" ignorant? I've had at least a dozen well-meaning friends say to me "turn your hearing aid up." What they don't realize is that the aid magnifies all sounds, and in noisy settings when you turn the aid up all you get is louder background noise. When a bartender is pouring a glass of soda, it sounds like Niagara Falls. Caracas, Venezuela: I was all set to spend $900 on a hearing aid when a friend asked, "When did you last get your ears flushed?" I told her I had never heard of it.

She made an appointment for me with the doctor and I went the very next week. Ann, I was amazed! Suddenly my hearing was better than it had been in years. I could not believe the improvement. Please tell your readers about this. Dear Caracas: I'd be happy to.

I also would like to tell them something else. Don't try to flush out your ears at home. Wax build-up is tricky to remove. This procedure should be done by a physician. Huntington Beach, I have $3,000 worth of hearing aids in my drawer, and I still can't watch TV.

Want to know why? Because the "mood" music played during the dramatic part of the film is amplified by the aid and it drowns out the dialogue. Closed captions are a godsend to people like me. We need to make closed captions mandatory. Demand them, folks! Bangor, Maine: Can anyone tell me why hearing aids are not covered by Medicare? The same goes for eyeglasses. This is outrageous.

With all the ripping off that goes on in Washington, why can't we get legitimate help, for heaven's sake? Fort Worth, Please tell your readers that the best "hearing aid" is a thoughtful person who will look directly at you, speak slowly, pronounce each word distinctly and stop at the end of a sentence for a slight pause. Although my hearing is less than 50 percent I can hear every word my dear wife says because she is a considerate, kind, thoughtful person. God does indeed give with one hand and take with the other. Socks without mates cover dirty shoes Dear Heloise: It seems that every time I do laundry I have a sock left over. I never can find the matching sock.

I placed a single sock in a drawer and before I knew it I had three or four. I didn't want to toss them because I knew one day I would be able to find a use for them. Recently while packing for a trip, I was trying to think what I could place over some shoes before placing them in the suitcase. Voila! The socks came to mind. Now every time I travel I use any mismatched socks I have on hand for this purpose.

D.B., Colorado Springs, Colo. Dear Heloise: My husband and I both work. A major problem that we have is that when we need an appliance repairman, a plumber or an electrician, no one is at home. It seems that the repairmen never know exactly when they will be over or how long the repairs will take. This means that either I or my husband has to stay home to wait.

This Heloise's Hints KING FEATURES always is such a hassle, since it is hard for both of us to get a day off. So, to solve this problem I found an elderly neighbor who stays home for the most part, since she is without a car. We made an agreement: She will stay in our home and wait for the repairman and in return I take her to the grocery store or on other errands. My entire family has become quite close to her and when I need a baby sitter she enjoys staying with the kids and they just love her! This sure was a great solution to our problem! Jane Weir, Sun City, Ariz. You solved a problem and gained a friend.

I'm sure this would help many neighbors become good friends. It is always so nice when neighbors are helpful to one another! Thanks for Dear Readers: In the last few months we have received many letters from readers about dishes not being clean when they are removed from the dishwasher. The Soap and Detergent Association shared the following information and we want to pass it along. When loading a dishwasher, a most important factor in achieving satisfactory results is the positioning of the dishes and utensils in relation to the wash action. Place the soiled surface of each item toward the source of the water spray.

Tilt cups, bowls and glasses to help drain the water off. Don't let large items shield small ones or nest spoons together so water cannot reach the soiled areas. A little thought and correct placement can make all the difference in the Dear Heloise: I recently attended a lovely party some acquaintances held and the decorations were so elegant. I thought I would pass along this simple method the hostess used to make her punch bowl look beautiful: She cut about 10 thin orange slices and around the rim of the slices she stuck some cloves. It was very attractive and really spruced up the bowl.

Rudy Deputy, Madison, Wis. What a smart hint for the busy hostess! Her simple method worked because you noticed! Heloise Dear Heloise: We must be on every catalog mailing list in the country! As a rule, the catalog has a peel-off label with your name and address on it. I remove the label, leaving the label stuck to the catalog paper. I use it for return address labels on letters, packages and postals. Mrs.

Tilghman Prosser, Shreveport, La. Well, that's certainly one good use for all those unwanted catalogs! Heloise Rare disorder traced to infected pituitary Dear Dr. Donohue: Have you information on Jakob-Creutzfeldt's disease? Is it a form of Alzheimer's disease? How does one contract it? R.O. Jakob-Creutzfeldt's disease is a rarity. We see about 250 cases each year in the U.S., and you are the first to ask me a question about it.

It is similar to Alzheimer's only in that it causes symptoms of decline in mental function. In other respects, it differs from Alzheimer's disease. In fact, the cause of Jakob-Creutzfeldt is believed to be a brain viral infection. The illness does have a rather interesting history. It was first described among natives of Borneo, where it had become rampant, with symptoms of personality change and rapid deterioration of mental function.

Natives there apparently had contracted the illness through direct contact with the infected brains of fellow tribesmen. Death within a year was the usual outcome. The latest chapter in the story involves the medical use of human growth hormone, a substance that until 1985 was available only from the extracted pituitary glands of human cadavers. Four cases of Jakob- Creutzfeldt disease were traced to infected pituitaries. In 1985, methods were devised to make the growth Dr.

Paul Donohue NEWS AMERICA hormone in laboratories. Dear Dr. Donohue: My mother recently was informed that she has a mild case of diabetes. Her father had a severe case. Both were quite overweight before contracting it.

I worry about developing diabetes myself, although I am at ideal weight. I do overdo sugar and wonder if my sweet tooth could cause diabetes, even if I don't gain weight. B.J. Diabetes is divided into two types. One is the insulin-using type, the kind that arises because the pancreas is not supplying sufficient insulin to burn blood sugar (glucose).

The second type is non-insulin using. It is definitely influenced by obesity, and it is the type most likely to run in a family. If one parent has this kind of diabetes, a son or daughter has a 10 to 15 percent chance of developing it. Thus, your concerns about possible inheritance and the danger of obesity are sensible ones. For you, main- taining ideal body weight is one of the biggest preventive steps you can take.

Certainly, you can get diabetes at an ideal weight, but the chances are much less. I saved the sweets question for last. Sugar eating is not one of the factors in diabetes, but it becomes important for its role in weight gain. On that basis alone, you should cut down. And of course, there is the matter of dental decay.

Dear Dr. Donohue: I hope you can tell me what makes me tick. I mean about this ticking like a clock in my head. It happens when I am tired and lying down. I guess I don't notice it when I'm P.B.

I'll give you my best shot at this, and you can confirm things with your doctor. I think you are having spasms of the small middle ear muscles or of the ones in your soft palate. That can make you tick. This does happen most often when the person is fatigued. The spasms cause a rhythmic clicking or popping sensation.

Your doctor can try medicines for relief. For S.C. Squamous cell cancer is a common form of skin cancer. It most often comes from overexposure to sunlight. (It's usually found on sun-exposed skin.) It begins as a firm red nodule that can, if untreated, become an ulcer and can spread to other body sites.

But when it's treated early, you can expect a complete cure. I should note that squamous cell cancer can occur in non-skin places, the lung for example. Then treatment and outlook are quite different. (Verwdght Isnt Alone. QUESTIONSi ANSWERS DOES YOUR NURSING HOME POLICY COVER YOU IN THE NURSING HOME OF YOUR CHOICE? DOES IT COVER ALL LEVELS OF CUSTODIAL CARE? PLUS: Alzheimers Care? Home Health Care? Hospice Care? OURS DOES! For Information Call: 827-4540 insurance associates 9th Magnolia Salina.KS SERVING SALINA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS you to Not lose Diet but rapid fnonitored, motivated, guided Directed by: Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist Psychologist.

Free Inforiribnal Meeting On Dec. 1 2 Sjjn 9 at 7:00 PM 617 E. Elm, Salina Diagnosis must not accompany self-tests By ROBERT C. PARK, M.D. Self-test kits are big business the market for them may hit $736 million next year, according to one research firm and are a growing part of today's trend in preventive medicine.

You can Woman's health buy over- the- counter self-test kits for screening, detecting, or monitoring almost any condition, problem, or illness, but "self- test" does not mean "self- diagnosis." A kit is only a first step toward medical care by your doctor, or it can be used by him or her to improve your treatment. If a self-test is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency which regulates such "medical devices," you can be sure it is reasonably accurate, relatively simple, and if used exactly as directed, it can be safe and effective. Some general precautions suggested by the FDA include: Don't buy or use any kit past the expiration date. Follow storage directions, especially regarding heat or cold. Study the directions carefully: read them once to learn what the test can do and can't do; read them a second or third time, to understand each step.

Follow directions exactly; don't miss a step, and if the test must be timed, don't guess; use a watch with a second hand. Follow precautions closely; especially about avoiding certain foods, drugs or activities. If you're color blind, and color is part of the test, get help from someone who can discern subtle color differences to interpret the results. Do what you're instructed, if results are positive, negative or unclear. Don't rely on the test alone; no test is 100 percent accurate.

See your doctor. Dr. Park is president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. German immigrants create first glass tree ornaments By The Associated Press German first brought glass Christmas tree ornaments to America, but it took a small-town variety store owner named F.W. Woolworth to bring them to the mass market.

The glass ornaments decorated another German tradition, the Christmas tree, according to an article in the current issue of Country Living. But those first trees were not the ceiling-scrapers that now sprout in American homes. Legend once held that Christmas trees were introduced to America by Hessian soldiers during the American Revolution. But the first documented decorated tree appeared on Christmas Day in 1747 at the German Moravian church's communal settlement in Bethlehem, Pa. It was a wooden triangle covered with branches.

The German immigrants put up small tabletop trees and decorated them with homemade ornaments needlework items and cookies cut into fancy shapes and tied to the branches. Bright ribbons and strings of popcorn and cranberries added color to the rosy apples and pine cones scattered throughout the branches. By the mid-1800s, America's German immigrants had relocated to the Midwest and South, taking their Christmas customs along. Although the immigrants probably brought glass icicles and balls to their new country around 1860, Woolworth introduced colored glass ornaments in quantity. At first, Woolworth was unimpressed when an importer showed him the decorations in the fall of 1880.

At the time he owned only one variety store, in Lancaster, Pa. The importer persuaded Woolworth to take $25 worth, although Woolworth doubted the public would buy the delicate baubles. "In two days, they were gone, and I woke up," Woolworth said. A decade later he was buying more than 200,000 ornaments annually. The German cottage industries produced more than 6,000 recorded designs, made by families working for pennies a day.

The blown-glass ornaments were usually hand- painted fruits, vegetables, Santas, birds, animals, angels, stockings. Blown-glass ornaments were first produced in the United States in 1938 when a New York firm introduced items depicting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. They were charming but did not equal the quality of the German-made pieces. Machine-blown-and-lacquered ornaments were first produced in large quantities in 1939 when Corning Glass Co. successfully adapted its lightbulb-blowing machine to Christmas tree balls.

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