FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF OCT. 11, 1999:
Whenever I’m under a lot of stress, sure enough I get sick. Why does that happen and are there vitamins that can help me?
It happens because stress causes your body to make fewer of the antibodies that ordinarily fight off germs and viruses. According to Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist, large doses of vitamin C may be helpful in preventing you from getting sick.
In a recent research study, rats that had received large doses of vitamin C were subjected to stressful conditions. Despite the stress, their antibody levels actually increased.
Many experts recommend 200 milligrams of vitamin C a day, which you can get from two cups of orange juice. "Don’t go overboard," warns Raidl. "Huge doses of vitamin C may cause diarrhea or kidney stones."
We have a young ‘Autumn Purple’ ash that we limbed up about 10 feet from the ground. The pruning scars seem to be healing nicely, but there are small holes exactly in the center of each scar. Is this normal or does our tree have ash borers? It seems very healthy–although I wouldn’t mind if it grew a little faster!
If your ash tree looks healthy, it probably doesn’t have borers, says Yvonne Carree, University of Idaho extension forestry associate. "The little dots you see in the middle of the pruned areas are probably where the pith was in the branches that you pruned off."
"Once the hot weather sets in, borers usually cause some pretty severe symptoms," says Carree. That’s because they feed on the tree’s cambium and effectively cut off the movement of water from its roots to the crown.
If the tree starts looking off-color, if the top starts dying, if the foliage starts looking "thin" or turning colors before other trees do, Carree suggests you get an on-site opinion from a professional.
I like to set my houseplants into deep saucers and let them keep drinking from the saucer for days after I water. My sister says that’s not a good idea. Is she right?
She certainly is, says JoAnn Robbins, University of Idaho extension educator. "Sitting in water for days at a time will saturate the soil and eventually kill the plant," Robbins says.
When using saucers, it’s best to lift the pot above the saucer so that after irrigation the pot doesn’t sit in drained water. If it does sit in water, be sure the water is all taken up within an hour or two.
Decorative containers (called jardinieres) that hold the entire pot should be treated just like saucers.
Our 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter fight over just about everything. What should we as parents do to keep the peace?
Unless one child is about to physically harm another, parents should let children settle their own disagreements, says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist.
"Fighting between kids is noisy and unpleasant, and it’s very tempting to just step in and solve the problem," she says. "But fighting is more than a bother and a pain: it’s an important learning ground for working out conflicts in life."
Actively promote ideas of fairness and ask the young battlers to sit down and talk to each other about what’s fair. But even if the truce they reach strikes you as decidedly unfair, don’t override it. "A young child’s definition of fairness will not match an adult’s," says Shaklee.
As they mature, children’s concept of fairness progresses. At first, they see fairness as getting exactly what they want. Next, it’s splitting everything right down the middle. Later, it evolves into proportionality or equity: if one spends an hour doing a chore and the other spends only 15 minutes, the first child should be entitled to more rewards. "Win-win" solutions–which creatively satisfy both parties–are a fairly advanced concept and one that even adults find challenging.
If you feel that one child is consistently being exploited by another, have a general discussion with your kids about how to communicate their needs and stand up for their rights. Eventually, that underdog will become more skilled in identifying fair solutions and in devising strategies for reaching them.
Be forewarned, though, says Shaklee: "Rivalry can peak when younger kids are making progress in their willingness to stand up for their rights. You can have more fighting–rather than less–when things are moving along."