TALKS ON HEALTH

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 November 1931, Page 9

TALKS ON HEALTH

A CHAT AiOUT HOLIDAYS. [by a family doctor.] There are two kinds’ of holidaymakers—those who really need the holiday and those who don’t. I am not concerned with the latter; if there are some people who can go away when they like and as long as they like, they are lucky. ■ You and I, dear readers, really need our holidays. Every year I publish a much-needed warning against the strenuous holiday. The pale-faced clerk rushes off to the Alps and begins climbing in the high mountain air, and makes himself ill with it. His heart cannot stand the strenuous exercise in th'fe high altitude, and when he comes home he has to see a doctor, and it takes him about six weeks of regular work to recover from his holidays. A REST FIRST. We must not think only of the actual fortnight; we must bear in mind that we want to lay in a store of health tor the coming winter and the iwhcle year. There are numbers of over-tired girls who would be wise to spend the first two days of their holiday in bed. Think of it! How otten wculd you not have given a day’s wages to be allowed to stay in bed in the morning for another halfhour! Your brain, your back, your muscles will send up a paean of praise to you if you will give them nvo days’ rest- You will enjoy your holiday much more for it afterwards.

SEA-BATHING. I As a broad general rule, sea-bath-ing is good for all. The fresh air, the clean salt water splashed against your skin by the incoming waves, the freedom, for once in a way, from tight collars, tight garters, tight corsets and tight shoes while you get back to Nature, is all for the best- ■■! harm tallows sea-bathing it is genrally because some very obvious . ult has been committed. The com- - nest milstake is to stay in too long;' . e benefit of the bathe is taken away ■ yen come out blue. The fun of .. /king tempts young and old to stay in the water; it is hard to be the first - ccme out from a jolly water-frolic, de pct like to give , the impression .at I am a grumpy old curmudgeon landing at the water’s edge and recit- . nr; a. long list of all the horrible disyou will suffer from as the rede of bathing. No, enjoy yourselves,, - oung people, but it you come' out .'due I shall not allow you to bathe at ill to-morrow, and that shall be your vanishment. FRESH AIR AND SUNBEAMS. Disease germs exposed to the sun’s rays die; they love the darkness, for their deeds are evil, and it is not surprising that the bright sunbeams should mean death to them. If, therefore, you have been forbidden to take sea-water baths by your doctor, put the query to him and ask if you may take sun baths. Then you may join the' frolicsome bathing-party to the beach or even out in a boat, and you may divest yourself of your cloying garments and lie in the sun with the minimum of clothing on. I wish I could drive that home; I wish I could convince you that a bath of fresh air and sunbeams is very beneficial to the skin and to the whole system, and ‘hat it is not necessary to plunge into the water- ' BE HAPPY.

My last word to you is that you must be happy on your holiday- You .eally must not grumble if dinner is -. lew minutes late; you must give way to other people to make things run. smoothly; you must think out Kind actions to please the young ones .nd. the old people. I will not allow you to quarrel; you will be sent iiome the first time you let a cross void pas your lips- Above all, make illc-wances for mother; she has the jother of looking after you all the .vhcle year round, and it is not much ''f a holiday for her if she has to do ill the catering and shopping, and /owing with the landlady. SOME RULES OF HEALTH. - You want to be cured, of course. If the process of <|istension of the stomach has been going on for twenty pr thirty years it is most difficult to cure. Indeed, in some cases the food cannot possibly escape by fhe proper channel; vomiting occurs, and the ■patient has this unpleasantness once or twice a day. It is only by this method that the stofnaeh can obtain die-'. The way to prevent this condition is as follows: — J. Give the gastric juices a chance ;y sending down food that has been yell chewed. 2. Drink water one hour before or me hour after food, but not with non Is. 3, Avoid duck, goose, liver, salmon, -□ckles, mussels, tinned food, new ••.■’ad, pork, pastiy, strong tea, beer - stout. 1. Eat regular meals when the t.niach is prepared for them, not dd, a;'.; at any odd time5. Eat a reasonable quantity at a .ica.l. 6. Keep a register of the body veight, and carefully knock off food i the weight is steadily rising. 7. Have bad teeth removed, especially those around whose roots a discharge wells up. 8. Be moderate in smoking. Smoking causes a flow of saliva, and if this is swallowed in excess the effect of the gastric juice is to some extent nullified. '

9- Adopt a varied diet,' including ’.neat, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruit. Do not stick to one or two mouoton'us articles of diet-

IJ. Observe an occasional fast for me day, a,j Moses very wisely or'.r' (! the Israelites. Moses was the greatest leader of men there has ever ;eo:i. x 11.I 1 . Take a glass of hot water at light to wash out the stomach.