Citywide Sidewalk Sale Scheduled.

Carthage Citywide Sidewalk Sale is scheduled for Saturday, July 23rd.

Neely Myers, Membership Director of the Carthage Chamber of Commerce said "Carthage retailers are vital to our local economy. Carthage is home to such a vast array of businesses offering products and services commonly needed as well as many unique treasures not found in many communities."

In addition to the many retail businesses offering their products and services, the Farmer’s Market will be open on the North side of the Square during the Saturday event. Fresh locally-grown vegetables, fabulous baked goods and beautiful plants and flowers will be available beginning at 7 a.m. Many products sell quickly, so come early.

"All retailers are invited to participate, serving and welcoming local residents and guests to the community," says Neely. "Whether promoting summer sales, back to school or upcoming fall home improvement and decorating, this is an effort to maximize customer contact and promote the Carthage business community."

Jasper County Jail Count

Numbers not released at press time

Some say that a name has a lotta influence on how a person is perceived. I know of several teenagers who have announced they are changin’ their name to better suit their perception of themselves.

My daughter decided to start usin’ her first, rather than her middle she was known by, name after she finished high school. ‘Course no one in the family ever changed what they referred to her as, and eventually she went back to acceptin’ the tradition.

Another kid I knew actually legally changed his name. He now will not respond to any other name.

I suppose the sayin’ about a rose by any other name is still a rose. But the same can be said for the thistle.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Column

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Diet Takes Backseat as Gout Treatment

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Do you have information on gout? I am 65, and my son-in-law is 32. We both have it. It is so painful. My doctor was pretty vague. He asked me to go on the computer to find which foods I should or should not eat. I found that you can’t eat meat and fish, but salmon and chicken are all right. Some vegetables can’t be eaten. How about tomatoes and tomato products? Does one attack mean gout is forever? What is the medicine of choice? -- C.B.

ANSWER: Gout comes about when the blood uric-acid level rises. Uric acid seeps into joints to form needle-shaped crystals that cause joint swelling and unspeakable pain. Uric acid, in turn, is a byproduct of cell chemistry. Its blood level rises because a person makes too much or passes too little into the urine.

A first gout attack most often occurs in the joint at the base of the big toe. The skin over the joint turns red, and the joint swells and becomes exceedingly painful. One of the best ways of diagnosing gout is to draw fluid from the affected joint and examine it with a microscope to see the needle-shaped uric-acid crystals. Gout can affect other joints: the knee, wrist, ankle and fingers. One attack of gout doesn’t call for lifelong treatment.

Indocin (indomethacin) is the drug most often used for an acute gout attack. Colchicine and cortisone also work well.

Medicines for gout prevention are taken if a person has frequent attacks (two or three a year), has formed uric-acid kidney stones, has kidney damage secondary to gout or passes large amounts of uric acid into the urine. Zyloprim (allopurinol) reduces uric acid production. Probenecid increases its elimination into the urine. Uloric, a new gout drug, is for those not responding to these two.

Diet was the sole means for gout treatment in the old days. Now, with effective medicines, it takes a back seat.