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CRYING
by Janet Spencer Crying is one of the very first things we do in our lives, and sometimes it is one of the last. Everybody cries, but how much do we really know about it? Come along with Tidbits as we shed a few tears! FACTS ABOUT TEARS • If you try to take a picture with a camera lens that’s warped, you won’t get a clear shot. If you’re looking through eyeglasses lenses that are lumpy, you won’t see clearly. The cornea of the eye has a bumpy surface. Tears smooth the surface, allowing us to see clearly. Tears also provide lubrication, without which we’d be unable to move the eyes in their sockets. • The cornea is the only tissue in the human body that doesn’t contain blood vessels. The cornea must remain clear in order to refract light correctly. If blood vessels were present, they would interfere with sight. One of the main purposes of blood is to deliver oxygen to tissues, but the cornea absorbs oxygen directly from the atmosphere. • The eyeball contains an entire plumbing system devoted to both producing and draining away tears. Tears serve several functions. They control infectious agents and detoxify the eye; they regulate the pH of the eyeball; and they promote chemical reactions, wash out irritants, and keep the cornea moist and nourished. (turn the page for more!)
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Vol 2 Issue 11
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Tidbits of The Pass Area
Vol. 2 Issue 11
CRYING (continued) • There are three different types of tears. First are basal tears, which constantly bathe the eyeballs in fluid, keeping them moist and lubricated. Second is the reflex or irritant tears, produced when cutting onions or encountering allergens. Third are psychic or emotional tears, triggered by emotional states. Each of the three types of tears contains different concentrations of hormones, proteins, and chemicals. • The basal tears that continuously bathe the eyes are made of three layers in a sort of “fluid sandwich” with a mucous-laden layer next to the cornea; a fluid middle layer; and an outer layer containing oils that prevent the tears from evaporating too quickly. The water layer is the thickest and contains electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium), proteins (mostly enzymes), glucose, and other substances. • Basal tears are produced by a series of about 20 small tear ducts called lacrimal glands. Another gland secretes a type of mucous called mucin that hugs the cornea. A set of 46 glands in the eyelids excrete oily lipids that prevent evaporation. Basal tears kill bacteria because they contain lysozyme, a fluid that can kill 90 to 95 percent of all bacteria. • The eye’s “drain pipe” is called the puncta, located in the corners of the eyes next to the nose, draining directly into the nasal cavity, which is why your nose runs when you cry. When tears are produced faster than they can be drained through the puncta, they spill over the eyelids and run down the cheeks. • When crying begins, blood flow increases to the eyeball, turning the eyes red. This causes the eye muscles to contract in order to protect the veins and arteries from increased pressure. The contracted muscles squeeze the tear ducts, forcing fluid out, which cools the overheated eyeballs down. (continued next page)
Corkscrews With Spring Veggies
Toss sauteed asparagus and leeks with pasta and creamy goat cheese. Yum! 1 bunch (about 1 pound) leeks 1 package (16 ounce) corkscrew or bow-tie pasta 1 tablespoon margarine or butter 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces 1 package (4 ounces) soft goat cheese, cut into small pieces 1. Cut off roots and leaf ends from leeks. Discard any tough outer leaves. Cut each leek lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide slices. Place leeks in large bowl of cold water; with hand, swish leeks around to remove any sand. Transfer leeks to colander. Repeat process, changing water several times, until all sand is removed. Drain well. 2. In large saucepot, prepare pasta in boiling salted water as label directs. 3. Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in asparagus, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; cook 5 minutes longer, stirring often. Add 1/3 cup water; cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until asparagus is tender-crisp. 4. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta to saucepot. Add asparagus mixture and pasta cooking water; toss well. Spoon into large serving bowl; sprinkle with goat cheese and coarsely ground black pepper. * Each serving: About 580 calories, 11g total fat (5g saturated), 13mg cholesterol, 705mg sodium, 96g total carbohydrate, 6g dietary fiber, 23g protein. For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our Web site at www. goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/. (c) 2019 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
Tidbits of The Pass Area
Week of April 7, 2019
CRYING (continued) • So why do eyes get puffy after crying? Emotional tears are more watery and less salty than basic tears and the tissue in your eye. Through the process of osmosis, the water moves into the saltier ocular tissues, which makes them swell up. • Emotional weeping triggers the “fight or flight” response. Breathing accelerates and blood flow increases. The opening in the throat called the glottis, which allows air from the larynx to the lungs, opens wide to facilitate greater air flow and easier breathing. This is why you often feel as if you have a lump in your throat when you cry. Swallowing forces the glottis to close, fighting against the reflex that is trying to force the glottis open and straining the throat muscles, producing the feeling of a lump. • When you are crying due to irritations such as onion fumes, you’ll shed about 5 tear drops, equal to about 100 microliters. But during a good hard emotional cry, you’ll shed as much as an entire milliliter of tears, amounting to a third of a fluid ounce. • Not only are emotional tears far greater in volume, but they also have a 20% higher concentration of protein than irritant tears, as well as being loaded with hormones such as prolactin. In addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. • Baby boys and baby girls cry at similar rates, but adult women cry more often than adult men. The gap widens beginning between the ages of 13 to 16. It’s been shown that women have up to 60% more of the hormone prolactin in their bloodstream, a hormone released from the pituitary gland in response to stress. Prolactin is also responsible for stimulating lactation of nursing mothers. Men, on the other hand, have lower levels of prolactin and higher levels of testosterone, which inhibits crying. • Women cry an average of around 2 to 4 times a month, while men might cry once every other month, with crying defined as anything from moist eyes to sobbing. • The average crying session lasts six minutes for a woman, versus two to four minutes for a man. Crying turns into sobbing in 65% of cases for women, but just 6% for men.
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"Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts." 5:Charles Dickens
(continued next page)
VA Releases Ratings on 101 Nursing Homes
For the first time, the Department of Veterans Affairs has released health care inspection reports for 101 of its Community Living Centers, formerly known as nursing homes.
Facilities are surveyed in a number of ways, including having enough staff, managing medication, protecting residents from physical and mental abuse and properly storing and preparing food. Of those, staffing might be the most important: If there aren't enough registered nurses, vocational nurses and nursing aides, care doesn't happen at all.
Per the reports, the VA has fewer low-performing facilities (17.2 percent versus 19.7 percent) and more high-performing facilities (17.2 percent versus 10.8 percent) than the private sector. These numbers aren't bad, they say, considering that the veterans at these facilities have more serious conditions than are generally seen in civilian facilities. Of the total, only eight VA facilities were rated one star. Reports for the remaining centers will be released by October. To see reports of centers near you, check online at www.va.gov/QUALITYOFCARE/apps/aspire/clcsurvey.aspx and use the drop box. To view the comparisons between VA and non-VA care, see www.accesstocare.va.gov/Healthcare/QualityOfCare.
However, one wonders why the VA is just now getting around to releasing the results of those reports. The General Accountability Office was asked to step in years ago to investigate complaints. Its report, titled "Actions Needed to Better Manage Risks to Veterans' Quality of Life and Care," outlined a lot of problems, with pain management being at the top of the list and a general failure to respond to and address deficiencies.
It's disheartening to see the ratings for the facility nearest to me. Percentages of short-term patients with moderate to severe pain are nearly four times higher than the national average. Long-term patients with moderate to severe pain see percentages nearly 10 times as high as the national average. The facility rates one star.
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Tidbits of The Pass Area
condition? -- M.T.M.
To Your Good Health By Keith Roach, M.D.
'Burning' Tattoo Forces Halt to MRI DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you please explain how an MRI machine affects the pigment in a tattoo? My friend's MRI procedure was stopped because she was experiencing a burning sensation at her lower eyelids, which had previously been tattooed with black ink. Does this happen only with black ink? Which colors are safer? -- J.H. ANSWER: Reactions between the ink in tattoos and MRI scanners are well-documented in the literature. Some inks -- mostly black, red and brown -- are made with iron or titanium oxides. Only 1.5 percent of people with tattoos have reported bad experiences in MRI machines. Iron and titanium oxides conduct electricity, and the strong magnetic field in an MRI scanner can cause a current to travel between different tattoos or different portions of a tattoo -- especially those with loops in the pattern. The electric current causes heat, and even can cause minor burns. Cold packs or ice placed on the area during MRI can minimize damage, but some MRI facilities will not perform an MRI on tattooed individuals, especially if the tattoo covers a large area. If a magnet draws up the skin with a tattoo, then that area is at risk. DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently was diagnosed with transient global amnesia. I had never heard of this. My primary care doctor sent me for further testing, which included an MRI and MRA with contrast, and a CT scan. All were normal. Can you elaborate on this
ANSWER: Transient global amnesia is a cause of retrograde amnesia ("retrograde" meaning you don't remember things from the past, usually the past day to a month, but sometimes longer; "anterograde" means memory loss forward from the time of the event). Its cause is unknown, but it occurs more frequently in men and women over 50. Your doctor ordered the appropriate tests to make sure it wasn't a transient ischemic attack or stroke. Epilepsy sometimes can look similar to TGA, so sometimes an EEG is obtained. As scary as it sounds, TGA usually doesn't happen again and doesn't predict a higher risk of developing memory troubles, stroke or epilepsy in the future. DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife has COPD. She is not coping very well. Her doctors are treating her with the standard medications. She has heard about an experimental treatment where they take her stem cells and make them into something that is inhaled. Have you heard about this treatment? Is it safe? Each treatment is $7,000. -- J.W. ANSWER: Stem cells are cells that can develop into many kinds of mature cells. In theory, they can grow and replace cells that have been damaged or destroyed due to a disease process. Stem cells hold great promise for many diseases, but there isn't enough information for me to make a recommendation for stem cells in COPD, for either safety or effectiveness. If you are going to look into it further, I would recommend doing so only as part of a clinical trial. You can find out about clinical trials at www.clinicaltrials.gov. I was able to find some trials on the site that are recruiting subjects. I also would recommend www.closerlookatstemcells.org/ to anyone considering stem cell treatment.Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@ med.cornell.edu. (c) 2019 North America Synd., Inc. All Rights Reserved
Vol. 2 Issue 11
CRYING (continued) • When women cry, tears run down their cheeks about 50% of the time, but when men cry, tears run down the cheeks only 29% of the time, and the rest of the time the eyes just get watery. This is due to the fact that the male puncta, the tear drainage pipe, is larger than the female’s. • A newborn will cry without producing tears. Babies do not produce tears until they are around six weeks old. A typical baby cries between 30 minutes and 3 hours per day. • In one study, scientists videotaped 60 people as they watched sad movies. Of those 60 people, 28 cried during the screening, and 32 did not. The researchers found that directly after the movie, those who cried felt sadder than those who didn’t. However, 90 minutes later, those who had let their feelings out felt better than their dry-eyed counterparts. More importantly, they also felt better than they did before watching the movie. BLINKING FACTS • The average person blinks 12 times per minute or about 10,000 blinks per day. You blink on average 4.2 million times a year. • We blink more when we talk but less when we’re reading. Your eyes become tired when you read or stare at a computer because you blink less often and you are not relaxing the eye muscles.
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Alerts. You'll see a pop-up box where you can enter your email address. While you're on that page (after the pop-up vanishes) scroll down to review recent recalls and alerts.
Food Safety Alerts Are Just the Start
The Food and Drug Administration covers alerts and recalls for medications and medical supplies, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration deals with vehicles, tires, motorcycles and child restraints. If you want to cover all your bases, check recalls.gov/list and sign up for all of them in one place. You'll receive alerts from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the FDA and the USDA.
A recent alert concerned 39 tons of ground turkey products sold in large packages last summer. It's made a number of people sick, and the USDA has to err on the side of caution, trying to catch any products that people might have in their freezer. Another alert concerns pork sausage, and yet another concerns chicken and rice products.
To make sure you haven't missed anything, do a search for your medications and vehicles after you sign up.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service sends out email alerts to those of us who are signed up for warnings about foods and products that are dangerous or contaminated, perhaps with Listeria or salmonella. Are you signed up for these email notices?
To sign up for these notices in email, go online to www.usda.gov and put "alerts" in the search box. Click on Current Recalls and
Another source to watch is Food Safety (www.foodsafety.gov). Besides sending out alert notices, the site has information on how to avoid food poisoning, safe freezer practices, thawing food and more. To get alerts, go to the site and put "alerts in email" in the search box. (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
Week of April 7, 2019
Tidbits of The Pass Area
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1 Between 1980 and 1989, a member of the Boston Red Sox led the A.L. in walks for a season 1. five times. Name either of the two Boston players to do it. 2. True or false: Slugger Jose Canseco had more strikeouts than hits during his major-league career. • On April 15, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln dies from an assassin's bullet. Shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington the night before, Lincoln lived for nine hours before succumbing to the severe head wound he sustained. • On April 19, 1876, a Wichita, Kansas, commission votes not to rehire policeman Wyatt Earp after he beats up a candidate for county sheriff. Earp often worked in law enforcement, but his own allegiance to the rule of law was conditional at best. Wyatt was one of the Earp brothers, who gained fame in the shootout at the O.K. Corral in 1881. • On April 20, 1926, inventor Lee de Forest demonstrates Phonofilm (music recorded on motion picture film) to movie studios, but they were not interested in "talking pictures," believing sound was a novelty.
3. When was the last time before 2016-18 that Army's football team went to consecutive bowl games? 4. Other than James Harden, who has scored the most points in a single game for the Houston Rockets? 5. 5 In the 2018-19 season, Tuukka Rask became the career leader in goaltender victories for the Boston Bruins. Who had been No. 1?
6 Who was the last driver to win the pole for the Daytona 500, then capture the race itself? 6. 7 Who was the last teenager to win a women's singles title at a Grand Slam tennis tournament? 7. 1. Dwight Evans (1981, '85, '87) and Wade Boggs ('86, '88). 2. True. He had 1,942 strikeouts and 1,877 hits (including 462 home runs). 3. It was 1984-85. 4. Calvin Murphy had 57 points in a game in 1978. 5. Tiny Thompson had 252 victories for Boston (1928-38). 6. Dale Jarrett, in 2000. 7. Maria Sharapova was 19 when she won the 2006 U.S. Open.
• On April 16, 1943, researcher Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist, hallucinates after accidentally consuming LSD25, a synthetic drug he had created. LSD was made illegal in the U.S. in 1965.
by Jo Ann Derson
• On April 21, 1967, General Motors celebrates the manufacture of its 100 millionth American-made car. At the time, GM was the world's largest automaker.
• If you're forgetful, experts say to "speak up" when completing a task. Not sure you turned off the oven? When you take the pan out, say, "I'm shutting off the oven!" You're more likely to remember if you've given yourself a verbal reminder.
• On April 17, 1970, Apollo 13, the U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returns to Earth. Disaster struck 200,000 miles from Earth when an oxygen tank blew up in the spacecraft, disrupting the supply of electricity, light, oxygen and water. Astronaut John Swigert reported to mission control on Earth, "Houston, we've had a problem here."
• Lock your device! Just as you wouldn't leave your door unlocked, so too should you not leave your phone unlocked, particularly if you have applications on your smartphone which can be easily accessed. Lock it up, and be smart.
• On April 18, 1983, American runner Joan Benoit wins her second Boston Marathon in the women's division with a time of 2:22:43. The following year, she won the first-ever women's marathon at the Summer Games in Los Angeles, becoming the first person to win Boston as well as Olympic gold. (c) 2019 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• "Cut the bitterness in a cup of coffee by adding a pinch of salt. Enhance the flavor of sweets with a pinch of salt. Salt is my secret weapon!" -F.L. in Alabama • Cut cotton pads in half to double your supply. They are typically big enough for two uses, and you can always use two halves if you need a whole. • "Use correction fluid to mask a scratch in a white cabinet. If the cabinet has a gloss on it, you can try painting over the correction fluid (after it has dried, of course) with clear nail polish. It won't cover a big gash or anything, but it's good for little nicks." -- J.B. in New Mexico • "When you need to change your password monthly, like for work, you might benefit from this motivational tip: Choose a phrase to focus on for the month. For example: "Listening does more than talking" can be translated to "listening>TALK1ng" for a strong, but motivational password that you'll have to think about each time you log in." -- T.B. in Florida
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(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Vol. 2 Issue 11
1. Is the book of Terebinth in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. What sprang up and shadowed over Jonah's head delivering him from his grief? Hemlock, Gourd, Flowers, Fig tree 3. From Judges 16, where did Samson tell Delilah that his great strength lies? Deep voice, Mighty arms, Long hair, Kind heart 4. Who married King David after her evil husband, Nabal, died? Tamar, Abigail, Vashti, Sarah 5. Which man's name in the book of Genesis means "hairy"? Seth, Cain, Abel, Esau 6. How many times does the word "Lucifer" appear in the Bible (KJV)? 1, 13, 112, 666 1) Neither; 2) Gourd; 3) Long hair; 4) Abigail; 5) Esau; 6) 1 (Isaiah 14:12) Visit Wilson Casey’s Trivia Fan Siteat www.patreon.com/triviaguy. Š 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
Week of April 7, 2019
Tidbits of The Pass Area
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Is That Special Diet Killing Your Dog?
DEAR PAW'S CORNER: The trend in pet owners feeding their dogs grain-free diet may have had some unintended consequences. There's an epidemic of DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) in dogs across the U.S., one that in many cases may be caused by a deficiency in taurine. The Food and Drug Administration and several veterinary organizations are working to increase the public's knowledge about the problem. Please let your readers know about this issue so that they can make sure what they're feeding their dogs contains the right nutrients to keep their dogs healthy. -- Liz D., via email DEAR LIZ: Thank you for raising awareness about this issue. As dedicated owners search for the best diets to feed their dogs, they are increasingly feeding them "exotic" diets (kangaroo meat and chickpeas, cited in a 2018 Tufts report) or buying dog foods labeled as grain-free. At issue is that some trendy diets, and unfortunately some retail dog foods, lack taurine, an ingredient in meat that is essential to maintaining a healthy heart in dogs. Taurine deficiency alone is not the only cause behind the rise in DCM, which is being seen in dog breeds where it was previously rare. Researchers are working to find additional causes of DCM, and in the meantime recommend that pet owners closely evaluate their pets' diet. Commercial dog foods should have a good track record of nutritional quality and safety. Home-prepared diets should be supplemented with important nutrients; talk to your vet for exact details. Owners should also keep an eye on their dogs for early signs of heart disease: coughing, weakness, less ability to exercise, shortness of breath or fainting. Take a dog with these symptoms straight to the vet. Send your questions or pet care tips to ask@pawscorner.com. (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
G O E S LO N G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When a crocodile opens its mouth really wide in order to swallow prey, the tear glands are squeezed, causing extra tears to be produced and expelled. Myths arose around the thought that the crocodile was weeping over the death of the prey it was about to eat. Today, the phrase "crocodile tears' refers to any false expression of sorrow.
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Vol. 2 Issue 11