Today's Feature

Interchange Ribbon-Cutting.

Congressman Roy Blunt will be in Carthage today at 2:30 p.m. to participate in the ribbon-cutting for the new Fairview Interchange. The interchange, which allows for access from Fairview Avenue to Highway 71, was opened to the public yesterday.

Construction on the project began late March this year, and cost approximately $3 million, which was divided between federal, state and City funding. The total length of the project is .74 miles. Blunt was integral in the designation of the federal money for the project.

The interchange, when proposed, was intended to help reduce truck traffic through the City, as well as promoting future development of the industrial area.

Intersection improvements at the corner of Fairview Avenue and Garrison Avenue are scheduled to be completed within a matter of weeks.

Public Works Meeting.

The City Council Public Works Committee will meet this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in the Public Works Department building, 623 E. 7th Street. Items on the agenda include the discussion of roof repairs for the Over 60 Center.

I heard from one that they didn’t think that takin’ off for the holiday was worth it. The same amount a work had ta get done this week, just in three days instead a five.

Gettin’ out a the routine does cause some disruption, but I’d have ta guess that most think it’s worth it.

Those who use the time to get Christmas shoppin’ outa the way have always amazed me. I prefer to wait until the crowds thin down. Usually sometime in January.

I’d recommend spendin’ Christmas with the family, and then havin’ a "gift day" sometime later after the first of the year.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

To Your Good Health
By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Women Get Gout, Too

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My wife, 55, has gout. I thought this was a man thing. It was a surprise to her, and to me. She’s slender and watches what she eats. She never drinks alcohol. She doesn’t smoke. She’s on Indocin right now. What kind of diet does she need to follow? -- S.W.

ANSWER: Women get gout. Before menopause, gout strikes more men than women, but after menopause, gout is an equal-opportunity condition that happens to as many women as men.

Admittedly, your wife isn’t the typical gout patient. Usually the gout profile is an overweight person who is a somewhat heavy user of alcohol.

Blame gout on uric acid. It’s the byproduct of the daily turnover of body cells. Gout patients either make too much of it or get rid of too little in the urine. The result is a rise in blood levels of uric acid. It diffuses into joints as needle-shaped crystals. The crystals inflame the joint, which becomes red, swollen, hot and unbelievably painful. Quite often, the first joint that gout settles in is the base of the big toe. A second attack can be expected within a year of the first in more than 60 percent of patients, and within three years in close to 80 percent.

Indocin is often used for an attack. For prevention of attacks, probenecid is used to flush out uric acid in those who are excreting too little, and allopurinol is used for those making too much. Your wife won’t have to change her diet much. She should go easy on red meat and seafood. She should give up organ meats, like liver. She doesn’t drink alcohol, and that’s something in her favor.