Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
B3
Educate yourself before taking ‘wonder drugs’
Senior
Living
Often as we age, we settle into
our familiar routines. They are
comforting and provide a sense of
Scott have to think, it’s
control: we don’t
McKay
automatic.
H
OW MANY DRUG ADS
can you tolerate during
the evening news? Boniva,
Celebrex, Fosamax, Lunesta,
Nexium, Paxil, Eliquis — all
describing how they will improve
your health and well-being. And
hidden at the end are the possible
side effects: Nausea and diarrhea;
incontinence and constipation,
sleeplessness and drowsiness; bad
dreams and bad luck. But what
do you really know about these
wonder drugs?
Before you take any medication
be a smart consumer and edu-
cate yourself first. Check out the
website MedlinePlus hosted by
the National Library of Medicine
where you can find trusted health
related information.
But the best option is to ask your
primary care provider, dentist or
pharmacist so you can get the most
benefit and prevent dangerous
drug interactions.
But what should you ask? Here
are 10 questions from “Educate
before you Medicate” created by
the Medication Safety Project.
1) What is the name of the
medication and what is it sup-
posed to do? Basic stuff but often
overlooked.
2) When and how do I take it?
Make sure you understand the
instructions.
3) How long do I take the medi-
cine? Always finish your medicines
unless otherwise advised by your
healthcare provider.
4) Does this medicine contain
anything that can cause an allergic
reaction? Don’t forget to describe
any past reactions you have had to
medications.
5) Should I avoid alcohol, any
other medicines, foods and/or
activities? You don’t want any
unexpected reactions.
6) Should I expect any side
effects from this medicine? Also
find out who you should call if you
experience any of the symptoms or
have questions.
7) What if I forget to take my
medicine? For some medicines
missing even one day can be
important. And never double your
medication without consulting
your healthcare provider.
8) Is there a generic version of
this medicine that can be pre-
scribed? A way to save money
when the cost of prescription drugs
can be prohibitive.
9) How should I store the medi-
cine? Always keep medicines away
from heat, light and moisture.
10) Is it safe to become pregnant
or breast feed while taking this
medicine? Probably not a problem
for anyone reading this column!
No drug is without risk. It is
always a balance between the
benefits and the side effects. But it
is your body, so do not hesitate to
learn more about the medications
you are taking.
Now how do you pay for these
medications? Well, it’s complicat-
ed, as Sue Ann Arguelles points
out in this month’s “Through
the Eyes of an Elder” on page
B14. Sue Ann is the area coordi-
nator for the SHIBA program in
Hood River, Wasco, Sherman,
and Gilliam counties that pro-
vides free Medicare counseling
by trained volunteer counselors.
For your Medicare questions call
541-288-8341.
•••
The name of the comedian, sing-
er, and pianist who frequently in-
terrupted his performance with the
line, “STOP--da music, everybody!”
and invariably ended his show with
“Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wher-
ever you are,” was Jimmy Durante
— the Great Schnozzola. (For those
who are wondering, the best guess
is “Mrs. Calabash” was his late wife
Jeanne Olson.)
I received correct answers
from Susan Elllis, Clare Zumwalt,
Gene Uczen, Rhonda Spies, Mike
Carrico, Lana Tepfer, Kim Birge,
Dave Lutgens, Tina Castañares,
Jim Stager, Doug Nelson, Tiiu
Vahtel, Margo Dameier, and Kathy
Vukelich, this week’s winner of a
quilt raffle ticket. And I’ve missed
Steve Nybroten.
Actor Jim Backus is probably best
known for playing Thurston Howell
III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan’s
Island, but he was also the voice of
a popular cartoon character. For
this week’s “Remember When”
question, what was the name of
the wealthy, short-statured cartoon
character who gets into a series
of comical situations because of
his extreme near-sightedness and
made worse by his stubborn refusal
to admit the problem. E-mail your
answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.
com, call 541-296-4788 or send it
with a picture of W. C. Fields one of
the inspirations for the character.
•••
Well, it has been another week
living in the now because I can’t re-
member the past and the future is
too far away. Until we meet again,
I’ve found if my wife asks if I could
take out the trash, she is just giving
me the illusion I have a choice.
•••
“When we age, we shed many
skins: Ego, arrogance, dominance,
pessimism, rudeness, selfish, un-
caring … Wow, it’s good to be old!”
— Stephen Richards
•••
Nutritious home-delivered
meals and pick-ups are available
for anyone over 60. For more infor-
mation, you can call the meal site
in your area.
Hood River Valley Adult Center
at 541-386-2060;
The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels at
541-298-8333;
Sherman County Senior
and Community Center at
541-565-3191;
Klickitat County Senior Services
— Goldendale office at 509-773-
3757 or the White Salmon office at
509-493-3068;
Skamania County Senior
Services at 509-427-3990;
Seniors of Mosier Valley at 541-
503-5660 or 541-980-1157.
Sun ‘as far north as it gets’ on summer solstice
What’s
in the
Sky
Jim
White
Here comes summer! The
summer solstice comes on
June 20 this year, when the
Sun is as far north as it gets.
Nights will be warmer, but
you need to stay up later to
see the stars! Sunset does not
come until around 9 p.m.
in June, and skies are not
completely dark until much
later, about 11:45 p.m. on
June 20. Don’t let that stop
you though, as stars and
constellations are visible
much earlier.
That time after sunset,
when the sky is still partly il-
luminated, is called twilight.
The corresponding term
for the morning is dawn.
Astronomers divide twilight
into three periods. The first
is called “civil twilight,” when
the Sun has set but is less
than 6 degrees below the
horizon. Civil twilight ends
at about 9:40 p.m. in June.
During civil twilight, there is
enough natural sunlight that
artificial light is not need-
ed for outdoor activities,
and you can only view the
brightest objects in the sky,
like the bright planets and
bright stars (and the Moon,
of course).
Nautical twilight comes
next, when the Sun is
between 6 and 12 degrees
below the horizon. In June,
nautical twilight will end at
about 10:30 p.m. Artificial
light is usually needed for
outdoor activities, and most
stars can be seen with the
naked eye. The term comes
from times when sailors
used the stars to navigate.
The final stage of twilight is
called astronomical twilight,
when the Sun is between 12
and 18 degrees below the
horizon. Most objects can
be viewed with a telescope
during astronomical twilight,
although a small amount of
sunlight still scattered in the
sky may make faint objects
difficult to see. Astronomical
twilight ends at around 11:45
p.m. in June. In the morn-
ing, the three twilight zones
are reversed. Astronomical
dawn comes at about 2:30
a.m., nautical dawn at about
3:45 a.m., and civil dawn
starts at about 4:30 a.m.
Venus and Mars continue
to be the visible planets
in the evening sky. Last
October, when Mars was at
opposition, the red planet
was about 39 million miles
from Earth. At the start of
June, Mars will be about
209 million miles away, and
will be some 225 million
miles from us at the end of
June. It is easy to see why the
Mars Rover Perseverance
was launched in the fall of
2020! Venus is much closer
at about 150 million miles in
June. Venus is easy to spot
after sunset, as the bright
“evening star,” low in the
west.
If you are up before sun-
rise, you can see Saturn and
Jupiter as bright “stars” low
in the southern sky. On June
1, the waning gibbous Moon
was right below Jupiter. On
June 27, the Moon will be
just below Saturn, and will
be below Jupiter again on
the 28th. June’s new Moon
will come on June 10, with
full Moon following on the
24th.
On June 10, there will
be an annular eclipse of
the Sun. Alas, it will not be
visible in our area, occurring
from about 2:30 a.m. to 4
a.m., when the Sun is below
the horizon. “Annular”
eclipses occur when the
Moon is slightly farther away
from Earth, and the appar-
ent size of the Moon is a bit
smaller than the Sun. The
Sun appears as a bright ring
around the dark disk of the
Moon. Another term for a
ring is an annulus, hence the
name. It does not mean it
occurs annually!
Last month I mentioned
the bright star Vega, the fifth
brightest star in our sky. I
also briefly mentioned near-
by Arcturus, which comes
in at No. 4, slightly brighter
than Vega. You can locate
Arcturus by following the
“arc” of the Big Dipper’s han-
dle to a bright star, Arcturus.
The star was an interesting
focus for the 1933 World’s
Fair in Chicago. A previous
World’s Fair in Chicago had
occurred in 1893, 40 years
before. Arcturus was about
40 light-years from Earth, so
light arriving in 1933 would
have left the star in about
1893. Telescopes were used
to focus the star’s light on
photovoltaic cells, and the
resulting electric current was
used to flip a switch, turning
on the lights for the Fair.
We’ve since refined the dis-
tance to Arcturus to be about
37 light-years, but it was a
unique use of technology for
the time.
Enjoy June’s skies!
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