HEALTH TALKS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8361, 22 February 1913, Page 9

HEALTH TALKS.

"Health is the second blessing that wo mortals are capable a blessing that money cannot buy.' Should we drink water with our meals? There are many people who take no liquid with their meals under tho impression that they will thus escape tho evils of indigestion. xho following, taken from the Montreal “Star,” suggests that such self-denial is not only needless but harmful. “In one school of medicine a series of experiments were conducted upon young men who were students of the college. The young men were physically sound, with healthy digestive organs, and all had been accustomed to drmking one or two glasses of water with their meals- Eight of these young men were instructed to drink no water with their meals, and only enough to relieve their thirst between meals. The other eight were instructed to drink about a quart of water at each meal and as much as they desired between meals. The first eight, with the exception of one, all lost weight. In addition to this loss of weight they complained of more or less headache and constipation. The other eight, with the exception of one, all gained in weight. None of them reported any constipation or indigestion." There is a famous medical man at Munich who has formulated a system of breathing and walking by which asthmatic patients are taught to walk without using breath, while sufferers from weakness of the heart and nervously ■ exhausted persons are said to be cured. No matter how long the walk or how steep the climb, no one who follows this simple system need “get out of breath,” the breathing and walking being in time together. In ascending a staircase or path, one should take one breath for every step, and the fuller the breath the better. In walking along a level stretch, one should take two steps to every breath; thus the inhalation and exhalation always begin as the same foot touches the ground. The danger of spreading various ailments by sneezing is emphasised by the bacteriological experts of the New York Health Department, who have recently been making scientific investigations. That measles and scarlet fever are spread by the sneeze, and hot by falling scales of skin, as used to be imagined, has only very recenHy been learned. One of the most conspicuous symptoms of measles is a “cold,” which causes much sneezing and coughing. By this means the germs of the disease are scattered about, and other people take them in with the air they breathe. Common colds are distributed in the same way. On© person in a family who happens to be thus afflicted is .likely, by sneezing, to fill the whole house with germs. They float about in the air, and it is mere chance if every member, of the household does not catch the complaint. One often notices how a cold “runs through” a family; now. we know, the reason why.

Lnmhago is a form of muscular rheumatism that affects the muscles of the lower' part of the back or loins. It' may be caused by straining the muscles, by lifting heavy weights, and it may come on rrom exposure to. cold, esnecially after much ’ exertion and nersniration. A pain is felt on the slightest movement, and walking is otten impossible. Anyone with a tendency to lumbago will have _it more in damp weather. As a rule it lasts for a few days, but may be sometimes prolonged for weeks. In some cases only a dull ache is experienced, whilst m others it may be more acute, and accompanied with loss of appetite and dyspepsia. It is generally worse at night. The patient must rest and have hot fomentations applied to the back. It is also beneficial to have a woollen bandage sprinkled over with' sulphur to cover the tender part. Tina should be kept in place by a broad binder. Rubbing night and morning with acetic acid often relieves the pain. 'The diet must be simple. A Turkish hath will sometimes give relief. Two kinds of condensed milk are sold—skimmed and unskimmed. The skimmed variety is robbed of its most nourishing constituent —namely, the cream. For this reason, skimmed condensed milk is quite unsuited for. tho feeding of infants. It has been proved that the continuous use of skimmed condensed milk is a cause of rickets. Nothing can beat fresh cow’s milk, always provided, of course, that it comes from a clean dairy. The conditions under which some Cows are kept are a disgrace. The purveyor of dirty milk should he ruthlessly punished; ho is the direct cause of much suffering among little children. Skimmed condensed milk, then, is unfit for babies, and its use should be immediately discontinued. Condensed milk in any form is not nearly so good for babies as fresh milk. When once the tin is opened the contents should be used up as soon as possible, for fear of contamination by dust, etc. 1 should add that in addition to the skimmed and full cream varieties, some condensed milk is sweetened and some is not; the unsweetened kind is best for babies; the excess of sugar in the other kind is bad, and girts rise to wind and colic. Sugar in moderation is a valuable food; too much sugar upsets the digestive organs. There is no worse habit or one more harmful in its effects than that of taking sleeping draughts. Whilst alcohol, opium, or chloral may be of great benefit in some attacks of illness when prescribed by the doctor, to use them for ordinary cases is extremely hurtful. If it is a habit that is easily formed, it is extremely serious in its results, and no woman under any circumstances should take morphia or opium, unless she has been ordered by the doctor to do so. The sleep brought on by any kind of drug is poisoned, and causes cerebral congestion, which is nearer akin to death than real sleep. If we indulge in these drugs regularly the character is changed, and tho moral and mental powers are undermined, and the Health becomes seriously affected. It is a habit as difficult to cure as drunkenness, and the person becomes a miserable and pitiable object. _ _