Health Notes

Hutt News, Volume 16, Issue 41, 7 April 1943, Page 6

Health Notes

By H. K. & D. W. Adamson, (Osteopaths).

Mai\y people in this country must have had their confidence in drug therapy rudely shaken upon reading the cabled , reference to investigations into the common cold as report ed in the daily press a few days ago. Firstly, the common cold has been exposed as being responsible for more absenteeism in industry than any other cause. Then comes the statement that the latest medical opinion is to the effect that the wide ly used vaciries are worthless as a means of building up resistance to colds. This is bad enough for those whose faith has been placed in vacines, but it is topped off by the jarring announcement that the socalled abortive treatments or remedies which are designed to shorten the duration of a cold are utterly worthless as such. Three years ago we quoted a medical research specialist on this same subject. He stated, "If all the cold remedies were suddenly removed from the market it would not make one iota of difference to the progress of a single cold." We remarked at the time that we thought such a drastic step would make a very considerable difference. We stated the belief that if all such remedies were excluded, colds would actually run a shorter course and there would be far less danger of after effects or complications. However, it looks as though some explanation, and then some, to use an Americanism, is due to the millions of people whom the manu-j facturers have lured into believing in the efficacy of these various cures/ Now, it doesn't really matter whether you catch a cold or the cold catches you. Whether a virus I is responsible or whether the cold develops as a result of wrong dietary and bad living habits. The fact remains you have a cold and naturally you want to get rid of it as you can, but in view of the recent exposure of the uselessness of the 5 so-called specific remedies, what are you to do? As a matter of fact, you have the option of two distinct courses. Firstly, you may. do nothing at all about it, in which case you will certainly be better off financially and at least no worse off physically than if you consumed every certain "cure" on the market. , . i _j , ;i T;J6 : .'

Secondly, you may treat the cold in the commonsense method of treat ing any other acute ailment and that is by using every possible expedient to "spring clean" your entire system. The simplest and most effective way to accomplish this is to give your stomach 4 spell from all solid food for two or three days and take up hot water drinking instead. Drink a pint of fairly warm water every hour during the day, or better still, add the juice of one or two citrus fruit when obtainable. If you can rest up so niuch the better, but if not, merely keep thoroughly warm and rest as much as you can. Hot baths, hot foot baths and enemas may also be adopted in severe cases or when necessary. These are the only known methods by which the duration of a cold may be reduced.