HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 August 1942, Page 5

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

OVEREATING & OVERFATIGUE.

TWO MODERN EVILS.

(By the Haelth Department.)

If we could reduce chronic overeating and chronic overfatigue, we would reduce to an astonishing degree the death rate from heart disease in its varied forms. These are two of the great evils of modern life. Where food is in abundant supply the tendency is for people to eat more. This is evident in New Zealand. We are one of the greatest meat-eating countries in the world. Besides lowering our efficiency, too much food tends to poison with the toxins of incomplete digestion. - We put on weight, and the more rolls of fat we build up the greater load we put on the heart, the arteries, and the kidneys. One authority estimates that after the age of 35 mortality increases one per cent for every pound of overweight. Cut down your food intake gradually and take the load off your heart. You’ll feel better and live longer. Also, take time off in the midst of all the habitual bustle and blow of modern life to relax. As we crack on the pace, poisons seep into the body, blood pressure shoots up as the heart and arteries labour to clear away those poisons, and another death notice is being written. Overfatigue and consequent high blood pressure can be corrected by your doctor, who will arrange a programme of rest and proper diet. A skilfully supervised course of treatment will add years to your life and immeasurably to your comfort. And don’t forget that a good, night’s rest is one of the most important single factors in keeping the heart in condition.