FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF JAN. 17, 2000:
I’m always rushing when I pick up my kids from daycare. Should I be making an effort to spend more time there?
"Linger and learn," advises Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist. "Your childcare program can be an important resource for you as a family."
Shaklee recommends volunteering to read a book with the kids or help with an art project or other activity. While you’re making that contribution, note whom your child likes to play with and how he or she prefers to play.
"No one style of play is better than others, but we do learn more about our children when we see them in action with others," Shaklee says.
Observe your child’s response to center rules: does he or she accept or challenge them? If you admire the teacher’s disciplinary approach, you may be able to pick up some take-home ideas.
Finally, if you’ve noticed at home that your child seems to have difficulty concentrating, has a strong temper, throws tantrums or rarely shares, it’s important to find out whether other children of the same age act similarly or whether your child’s behavior is unusual.
"Take some time to ask the provider how your child is doing," Shaklee says. "If that’s not possible during center hours, many providers welcome a call at home to talk about the children in their care."
I’ve been taking the herbs gingko biloba and ginseng for years. Now, I’m scheduled to go in for some surgery and have heard that I should stop taking them beforehand. Is that true?
According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, if you are regularly consuming some popular herbs, you should stop taking them at least two weeks before undergoing elective surgery.
Both gingko biloba and ginseng are suspected of preventing blood clots from forming and, as a result, could lead to excess blood loss during surgery, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist.
Two other popular herbs–St. John’s Wort and kava-kava–may prolong the sedative effect of anesthesia.
"So, yes, your doctor should be made aware of the herbs you are using to avoid any type of dangerous interactions that can occur," Raidl says.
We bought some old wooden furniture that we’re storing in our shed until we have the chance to repair and refinish it. Last week, I noticed pencil-lead sized holes in one chair and talcum-powder fine sawdust underneath it. What’s causing this?
Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho extension entomologist, suspects powderpost beetles. Common pests of wood posts and fruit trees, these beetles can find their ways indoors, where they will lay their eggs in the pores, cracks and crevices of exposed wood. The hatched larvae will feed and tunnel through the wood, turning fiber to frass. You’re not likely to notice the damage until the larvae mature into adults and cut holes to emerge.
Check the wood closely for C-shaped larvae with light-colored bodies and dark heads. Also look for slender, nearly black or black adult beetles, no longer than a fifth-of-an-inch, on your shed’s windows or sills.
While the larvae already inside the wood will continue their destructive life cycle, you can prevent further egg-laying by coating the wood surface with paint or varnish. "Furniture that is just stained is not protected," Stoltz says.
For more information, order Pacific Northwest Extension Publication 326, "Preventing and Controlling Powderpost Beetles In and Around the Home," from University of Idaho Ag Publications at telephone (208) 885-7982, fax (208) 885-4648,e-mail cking@uidaho.edu, web site http://info.ag.uidaho.edu, or Ag Publications Building, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2240. Cost to Idaho residents is $1.03, including tax and shipping.
How can I tell the difference between food poisoning and the flu?
You probably can’t, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho extension food safety specialist. Flu will often involve respiratory symptoms–such as a cough or runny nose–which don’t occur with food-borne illness. But flu and food-borne illness share such symptoms as headache, muscle pain, fever, stomach ache, diarrhea and vomiting.
"That’s one reason an estimated 80 percent of food-borne illness goes undiagnosed," McCurdy says.
Most cases of food-borne illness clear up by themselves within a day or two without medical help, but some cases can be life-threatening. McCurdy recommends consulting a doctor if you develop any of the following symptoms:
"If you do get food poisoning, report it to your local health department so that it can be included in national statistics," says McCurdy.