Gray Hair

"Kathleen's under spell of fat police; Pounds for bucks, oh Kathleen!" screams a headline in the Hartford Courant."As Kathleen Sullivan Loses, She Wins," trumpets the Washington Post."Dieting with Kathleen Sullivan -- With A Will and A Weigh," chimes in the New York Times.Excuse me while I scream.AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH!Or to put it another way: Stop the insanity!Here we are, barely two weeks into 1994 and already it's threatening to become the Year of the Woman Who Let Us Down.That woman is, of course, Kathleen Sullivan, former network news anchor.

Think the Ravens will be working a little this week on containing RG3? The Ravens play the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field. And if they watched the Redskins' 17-16 win over the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football,” they know that Robert Griffin III, already one of the game's most explosive players, is only getting better and better as the season grinds on. Sure, Washington's franchise quarterback had plenty of help as the...

A year or so ago, you had a letter from a reader who said a pill she was taking turned her gray hair dark again. I know it's not guaranteed to work, but I'd like to try it. Do you know what she was taking? She was taking two cholesterol-lowering drugs, Zocor and Zetia. Her report was strange because her original hair color was blond, but her gray hair started growing in black while on these drugs. We invited other readers to tell us if they had similar hair-color changes, and many did. Most were on Zocor or Zetia or the combination (Vytorin)

Police say a boy was assaulted in Dundalk Friday when the driver of pickup truck struck him with the passenger side mirror. The incident happened about 5:40 p.m. Friday in the 3300 block of Wallford Drive. A gray Chevrolet Silverado "purposefully accelerated and swerved to strike a juvenile as he was attempting to cross the street," according an account by Baltimore County Police. The boy — Gabriel Hudgins, 14, of the 3300-block Wallford Drive — was treated and released from Franklin Square Hospital, police said.

For 27 years, the Community Assistance Network has been helping the poor of Baltimore County with everything from free food to emergency medical supplies.For the past two years, its executive director has been Bob Gadjys who, at 54, uses the terminology of his American Indian ancestors to describe himself as a "gray hair."A native of upstate New York who says his upbringing in an orphanage during World War II let him know what hunger and want are all about, Mr. Gadjys retired from a career with the federal government in 1986.

He's thinking about getting a tattoo, but cutting back on gigs with his rock band. He's as buff as ever, but eating more Lean Cuisine. He's juggling an impossible job and a big brood of kids, but wondering how long he can keep all those balls up in the air. Mayor Martin O'Malley turns 40 today, reaching that milestone where even a man who exudes youthful energy, drive and swagger can begin to feel the creep of age and the weight of ever-growing responsibility....

Dr. Laurence J. Meyer found a foolproof way of getting rid of the gray hair that hijacked his mustache when he was about 35: He shaved it off. It took another five years for the hair on his head to start losing its color. Now that he is in his 50s, the dermatology professor at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center is reconciled to the salt-and-pepper look - though he keeps a keen eye on the direction of the gray creep. "It's getting more and more, coming in at the temples," he said.

Turmeric increases the anticoagulant effect of Coumadin. I have been on Coumadin for 15 years because of an artificial aortic valve. I had read that turmeric was effective in lowering cholesterol and began sprinkling it on broccoli. My international normalized ratio went up dramatically, and my pharmacist said, "STOP!" Have there been any studies on the blood-thinning effect of turmeric? You are not the first person to report this interaction between Coumadin (warfarin) and turmeric.

Police say a boy was assaulted in Dundalk Friday when the driver of pickup truck struck him with the passenger side mirror. The incident happened about 5:40 p.m. Friday in the 3300 block of Wallford Drive. A gray Chevrolet Silverado "purposefully accelerated and swerved to strike a juvenile as he was attempting to cross the street," according an account by Baltimore County Police. The boy — Gabriel Hudgins, 14, of the 3300-block Wallford Drive — was treated and released from Franklin Square Hospital, police said.

Baltimore County police are seeking the public's assistance in locating a dementia patient who they say went missing Friday in the Towson area. Police say William Crews, 81, was last seen at the Heritage Adult Day Care, at 8240 Loch Raven Blvd., shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Police describe Crews as a black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds. He has gray hair and wears glasses, and was wearing a red flannel shirt, dark brown jacket, khaki pants or jeans and dark brown shoes, according to police.

Baltimore County police are seeking the public's assistance in locating a dementia patient who they say went missing Friday in the Towson area. Police say William Crews, 81, was last seen at the Heritage Adult Day Care, at 8240 Loch Raven Blvd., shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Police describe Crews as a black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds. He has gray hair and wears glasses, and was wearing a red flannel shirt, dark brown jacket, khaki pants or jeans and dark brown shoes, according to police.

Turmeric increases the anticoagulant effect of Coumadin. I have been on Coumadin for 15 years because of an artificial aortic valve. I had read that turmeric was effective in lowering cholesterol and began sprinkling it on broccoli. My international normalized ratio went up dramatically, and my pharmacist said, "STOP!" Have there been any studies on the blood-thinning effect of turmeric? You are not the first person to report this interaction between Coumadin (warfarin) and turmeric.

Here's something to look forward to: The older we get, the more eligible we are to participate in clinical trials. These helpful research studies frequently include free evaluations, medications and follow-up visits. You really can't open a newspaper without seeing an advertisement for one of these programs. They make us acutely aware of the fact that a lot of stuff could be seriously wrong with us. We might be on a fast track to a highly undesirable condition! And yet, these recruitment ads often feature a benignly phrased question as a headline.

Police have been searching without success for an 83-year-old Cherry Hill woman with Alzheimer's disease who has been missing since mid-September. Detective Tim Gardner of the missing persons unit said fliers distributed throughout Cherry Hill, numerous interviews with relatives and friends and ground searches by police officers and dogs have failed to locate Nevolia Olet Duvall of the 2600 block of Spelman Road. "We're really concerned about the safety and welfare of this missing person," Gardner said.

A year or so ago, you had a letter from a reader who said a pill she was taking turned her gray hair dark again. I know it's not guaranteed to work, but I'd like to try it. Do you know what she was taking? She was taking two cholesterol-lowering drugs, Zocor and Zetia. Her report was strange because her original hair color was blond, but her gray hair started growing in black while on these drugs. We invited other readers to tell us if they had similar hair-color changes, and many did. Most were on Zocor or Zetia or the combination (Vytorin)

Tom Christy is retired after a long and successful career as an electrical engineer. This is the time in his life when Christy can do all the things that he couldn't during the busy years when he worked constantly. For Christy, that means playing hockey on a regular basis. Christy, 65, is part of a group of men who play in a few hockey leagues for those age 50 and older at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel. The over-50 group - called the Senior Division - plays Sunday nights, while the 60-and-older group - the Geri-Hat Tricks - have ice time twice a week, usually Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Q. I have been taking fish oil concentrate for heart health. After reading other readers' comments on fish oil restoring their hair to its original color, I checked mine in the bright sunlight. Lo and behold, a lot of my gray is gone. I have bleached my hair for years, but the new root growth, which was mostly gray, is now brown. A. We agree with you that these tales are amazing. We don't know quite what to make of them. We wouldn't suggest someone start taking fish oil with the expectation that it would reverse the graying process.

WE HAD BEEN together 18 years, through the good times and bad, through sickness and health and headed (or so I figured) 'til death do us part.Then something happened. Don't ask me why, but all of a sudden we just didn't seem right for each other. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was too much of a perfectionist, unwilling to tolerate the obvious flaws I saw in the two of us.Anyway, it's all over now. Splitsville.I went one way.My mustache went another.Shaved it off the other day.Those of you who have never worn a mustache or beard are no doubt thinking: Big deal.

Dr. Laurence J. Meyer found a foolproof way of getting rid of the gray hair that hijacked his mustache when he was about 35: He shaved it off. It took another five years for the hair on his head to start losing its color. Now that he is in his 50s, the dermatology professor at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center is reconciled to the salt-and-pepper look - though he keeps a keen eye on the direction of the gray creep. "It's getting more and more, coming in at the temples," he said.

Q. I have been taking fish oil concentrate for heart health. After reading other readers' comments on fish oil restoring their hair to its original color, I checked mine in the bright sunlight. Lo and behold, a lot of my gray is gone. I have bleached my hair for years, but the new root growth, which was mostly gray, is now brown. A. We agree with you that these tales are amazing. We don't know quite what to make of them. We wouldn't suggest someone start taking fish oil with the expectation that it would reverse the graying process.