Nominations for Grand Marshal to be Accepted.

Nominations are currently being accepted for the 45th Annual Maple Leaf Festival Grand Marshal. Nomination forms may be picked up at the Chamber office, 402 S Garrison, Carthage, or those interested can call 417-358-2373 to have them faxed or e-mailed. Nominations must be submitted on the official form.

Deadline for accepting nominations is 5 p.m. on August 19th. This deadline is for actual receipt of nomination form at the Chamber office.

"Being chosen to be Maple Leaf Festival Grand Marshal is a tremendous honor," said Jeanine Poe, Chairperson of the 45th Annual Maple Leaf Festival Committee. "The Maple Leaf committee receives a number of nominations of highly respected citizens who have made significant contributions to the community each year. Be specific and detailed when you nominate a potential Grand Marshal so the committee has the information to choose the best nominee for this year’s festival."

For information, contact Mary Jo at 417-358-2373 or mjlittle@carthagechamber.com.

Jasper County Jail Count

183 August 1, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

Ever keep bumpin’ into the same person over and over again? I don’t mean a friend or acquaintance, but a complete stranger.

Sometimes it’s out on the interstate. Ya pass a car and later in the trip, ya pull out from gettin’ gas and there that same car is. Ya end up passin’ again and somewhere down the road, here he comes, passin’ you. Then slows for some reason so ya pass ‘em again.

It happens in the grocery store some too. Ya stop and let someone pass by, and a couple a rows down, ya almost run into ‘em for the second or third time.

It just seems that two random folks are for some reason on the same wave link or somethin.’ The only way I’ve found to get around the situation is to break the rhythm of whatever it is you’re doin’. Pull off the side of the road or stop and get a can a pop. There are some things ya just can’t fight.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Weekly Column

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Most Back Pain Stops on Its Own

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 78-year-old, semiretired man. I am very active and look a lot younger. I work part-time as a truck driver delivering auto parts to garages. Now I am out of work because of pain in my lower back. The pain runs down to my foot. I have been diagnosed with sciatica. My doctor sent me for an MRI, and it showed a bulging disk. What is the best remedy? I use ice packs, heating packs and hot packs. I am on crutches to take pressure off my leg. Would surgery help? -- J.S.

ANSWER: Back pain is one of the leading problems that send people to doctors. Most cases of back pain go away on their own, even if they’re due to things like a bulging (also called herniated or ruptured) disk. Even though your back hurts, you can be as active as your pain allows. Don’t sit for prolonged periods; sitting puts more pressure on your back than does standing or walking. Sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees. Continue with heat, cold or alternating heat and cold, whichever gives you the most pain relief. Tylenol or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (Aleve, Advil, Motrin, etc.) can make you more comfortable.

If the pain doesn’t let up in six weeks, you have chronic back pain. Sciatica is pain that travels from the back down the leg to the foot. It comes from pressure on the sciatic nerve. In your case, the pressure most likely comes from your bulging back disk. Back disks are cartilage pads placed between adjacent backbones to absorb the shock those bones take from our walking, bending and pushing. The disk has a tough outer ring. Gelatinous material makes up the inner core. If there’s a break in the outer ring, the inner core pushes through -- a bulging, herniated or ruptured disk, whichever term you want to use.

If sciatica doesn’t resolve on its own, a doctor can inject the back with cortisone to reduce inflammation. That can relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve. The procedure is called an epidural.

Surgeons, aided by a microscope, can remove the bulge through small incisions, about an inch long. This technique is called a microdiskectomy and usually is quite successful.