Health Notes

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 7 (Supplement)

Health Notes

Catarrh All Too Common

Main Causes and

curious fact that the man or woman of a lively, alert, intelligent nature is moro apt to suffer than Jhe stolid and dull. Habits have an influence also, for catarrh afflicts the heavy smoker and tho heavy drinker moro often than it does the temperate. Preventive Methods When we como to consider how to avoid this troublesome complaint, catarrh, wo must constantly bear in mind tho interaction between the outside and tho insido of our bodies; between our skin, in short, and our mucous membranes. Tho irritations, the heat and cold which are applied to the | skin produce effects also on those deli-1 cate linings.

By a Medical Correspondent

TMTANY people express surprise when they meet someone suffering from catarrh at this time of the year. Surely, they say, catarrh comes from cold, and is common tinough in the winter or even in the spring and autumn. But how on earth does a man get catarrh in the summer? The answer is that catarrh is not caused only by cold, I,hough this is one of the most common causes. Catarrh is a Greek word which means a flow or running. An Elusive CDmplaint. You may have catarrh therefore in any of those parts o;: the body which ore lined with inucouli membrane; that is. a membrane the cells of which can secrete mucus. When they do so you get a flow, or running, of this thin white sticky fluid; you have, in fact, catarrh. The term is generally us'tid for catarrh of the linings of the noss and throat, but you may, of course, and often unfortunately do, get catarrh of other passages of the body. This catarrh of th<! nose and throat in its most usual form is the common cold, and this is undoubtedly often brought'on by chill, ! although the immediate cause is in most cases a virus —that is, an organism so small that it will pass through a lilter. Catarrh can be canned in other ways also, and the catarrljs of-'Slimmer are generally not due to chill. The lining of tho nosiji and throat can be irritated by dust of various kinds and such an irritation may set up catarrh. Some people are more sensitive in this way than others, and it is a

Hero we have a clear indication how to avoid catarrhs. Treat the surface of the whole body sensibly; accustom it to cold water and to fresh air, do not swaddle it in layers of clothes, exercise it daily and rub it down after exercise, and you will already have gone a long way toward avoiding attacks of catarrh.

Equally important, of course, is tho freshness of the air which is breathed into the nose and throat. A stuffy room is tho mother of catarrh, but a walk in the fresh air is tho father of freedom from colds. Heavy meals make your mucous membranes congested and susceptible, while moderation in food and drink help you to keep freo from catarrh. In fact, diet plays a very important part in the treatment of catarrh, of which more will be told next week. Catarrh is a horribly common complaint in New Zealand, tho Auckland climate especially appearing to favour it more than others, but we are not bound to have it, and tho measures which best secure us against it are simple. If, in spite of these, wo suffer from catarrh, then there is probably some local defect for which wo must consult the throat surgeon.