Weak Digestions

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 24, 12 November 1941, Page 8

Weak Digestions

*'i ,J j) • udwUiMifeU' "* 't> f ; fly H. k. £4 w. Ida- j (Osteopath*)., ' " ' "■« ■r, .What do you <k> ffteti yoU.gfet an; iftack of DoyoUjCast, Of do you take a dtfcjb ofi W-Hfton-ate of soda •«»%> othar mmi> fiposted indigestion cure f If you %i a kiiidly feeling for the future wWfare of your stomach, and yourself, ybu Will miss a meal or two, hut the cbanc*%re-you- -will proceed in the opposite direction and take something which might, or not, Jtut you right ,in a Jiffy, ii- may be a mere carbonate or you may b<e motfk impressed by the price of .paßi&th^hg much more expensive. the results are likely to —you will get some ease, no doub£ for a while. This is because nearly all causes of indigestion haye. tljs&< beginnings in acute or occasional bputs of acidity which in turn- may be due to any one or more mist demeahonrs which you have been committing against your srtomach, or you may have inherited a weak stomach, but in this case you would have already.* made the discovery, that the much-advertised virtues of the popular indigestion remedies were grossly exaggerated. , NoW the pinch of bl-carbonate of soda and other more elaborate alkalinisers give quick relief because they reduce the degree of. acidity, temporarily, mark, you, only temporarily. Thiß, procedure of administering an alkali to neutralise, or reduce the acid contents of the stomach would be perfectly sound and.reliable if this organ, was merely a vat or a, glass Jar . If it. were so the chemical reaction thai would follow could be calculated to a nicety beforehand. But the stomach 1b a sensitised organ, in which the chemical changes re lating to the digestion of food are ordained by physiological laws. Therefore the . chemical reactions which anyone may bring about in a vat or a glass jar are no criterion of what takes place Jn the stomach. For instance, and as every school child knows, an acid solution may be reduced or neutralised at will by introducing aij alkali, but although similar reactions take place in the stomach, they do not stop' at that. In the stomach EACHRE ACTION LEADS TO ANOTrifell AND A SUCCEEDINGREACTION peculiar to living tisßues, anl although the first. reaction following the introduction of a bi-carbonate into the stomach may reduce any excessive acidity,...or indeed completely neutralise the contents, one of the first secondary effects is the promotion of a still greater secretion of the acid gastric Juice. Hydrochloric acid is the principal component of the stomach digestive fluids and its secretion is stimulated by the presence of an alkaline medium. So, far from curing extreme acidity, the introduction of this type of indigestion cure, will in the long run aggravate the disorder. This is borne out by the f&ct that practically every user of remedies sooner or later makes the discovery that his pet eyre is no longer efficacious. He begins to leai-n by being compelled to take bigger and bigger

doses, then he commences a neverending search for the "right" antidote until, ultimately, his search may even bring him right back to his own self, wherein he will find that Nature has provided the only solution to digestive and all other disorders as well.

When the next digestive upset occurs, and even though you are tempted to resort to a bi carbonate, miss a meal or two as well. This will give : the stomach some muchneeded rest and will also give yourself an opportunity to. do a littlechinking on the matter. No stomach kicks , out of sheer cussedneßS. There's always some very substantial reason; and nine times out of ten it is because of over-loading with either too much food or too much of the wrong kind of food. In fact, in the early days of stomach trouble, moßt sufferers can trace their periodic upsets to some particular indulgence, in which cases the remedy is, of course, obvious— avoidance of the excesses.

Now there are two features about the digestive system which it is worth while remembering. Firstly, It is designed solely for the purpose of extracting substances from the foods we eat to furnish the body with materials for its growth and functioning. Secondly, and perhaps contrary to the general opinion on the matter, the demand for food, which is made ktaown to us in the form of appetite, is determined mainly by the amount of physical activity or energy expended by this individual. Get this firmly fixed in your mind and let these facta be your guiding star In aU ,flutters relating to eating and Physical activity prodti«eit which in turn produces digestive activity.

But there are two kijajJiL ofc appetite—natural and ftkiMail Die natural appetite finds its satisfaction in plain, wJiolefconfe food, whilst the artificial craves highly-seasoned and flavour? Ed foods. . file latter if nevelr satisfied, and the owner searches the cookery books and amongst the culinary arts to find an excuse to the function of eating. This Is thd group on whom the indigestion MahufaCturerß depend for their HffiMce.

Ab already mentioned, appetite is related to activity, THEREFORE, REGULATE YOUR INTAKE OF FOOD ACCORDING TO YOUR ACTIVITY. This is fundamental. Appetite is your best guide to quantity 1 of food required. Not the sort of appetite that requires pickles and 1 sauces or other appetite teasers, but the kind of appetite that can be satisfied on plain foods. If you have to pick at your food at meal time it means that your digestion needs a spell. Probably you "pick" too much between meals, or perhaps you need more exercise. Then, when you have worked up an appetite, see to it that you leave the table .before an uncomfortable feeling around the waistline suggests you .have had your. fill. Ahother thing, chew and food, to a bttMre you do fiuan BMWS&NMBALS. are ampid for the hardest working navvy. a.fiiieral rule, fruit is ihe best .to igo to the other the worst andspace prevents more specific suggestions' at tiie. monietit, * .bttt, there is Plenty of latltiidg between these two extreme breakfasts from which to choose. For instance, add a fclass of milk to the fruit and you have anldeal breakfast. On the