OUR LITTLE AILMENTS.

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 65

OUR LITTLE AILMENTS.

As a matter of fact I meant to head! our talk to-day "The Joy of Life," for what is the real joy of life but health Y But when I had written the words they seemed to bring before me other thoughts — youth, love, hope ; the song of the skylark soaring up, up through the clear morning air ; the rush of the. incoming tide, and the wide circling wings of sea birds, white against the blue ; the fragrance* of spring flowers ; the still warmth of the summer sun ; the gay measure of my favourite waltz swinging to the beat of many footsteps ; the sting of the keen air cleft by a morning gallop — oh! so many things, sights, sounds, memories, scents, colours — all embodiments of the joy of life as we have known it, do know it. Whereas the supreme gift which made, or makes, each lovely hour possible — to wit, health — was never counted, never realised^ feeing present. It is only_ when we

lose it that we regretfully understand the supreme value of good health! Therefore, I erased my title line, and in place of "The Joy of Life" wrote instead the homely heading "Our Little Ailments." Now we are frequently told — and I think with a certain amount of truth — that the modern young man and woman find as much pleasure in talking over their complaints, criticising each other's favourite physician, or comparing their newest "treatment" as the old-fashioned youth and maiden did in sentimental tete-a-tete or discreet flirtation: One thing I can vouch for: where two or three women are gathered together the conversation sooner or later inevitably drifts to "symptoms," cures, and treatments — their, own or their friends ! Frankly, it is a form of confidence I abhor, and thus, up to date as 1 always like us to be in our outlook on the world, in this particular respect I have not k^pt pace with prevailing tastes. But one may overdo the best instincts, and it has struck me lately that ~L might have been more helpful to yon, my dear j readers, if I had sometimes touched on i such a universal commonplace as " Our j Little Ailments," and tried with some j simple suggestions to stem the unwise habit which grows upon us of rushing to : medicine— mostly patent medicines — for re- " lief from every passing inconvenience that ; assails us. Do you no* think we are [ all inclined to take too much medicine'/ Or if we belong to the "letting-things-take-their-own-course" party of thinkers, do we not often run to t'lie other, extreme and neglect Nature's friendly warnings until the doctor himself, called in too late, is powerless to avert a tedious and expensive illness? —Out of Sortsis an undefinable misery of very real potency, for which a dozen different people will need as many different remedies — for the old saying holds true here that"one man's meat is another man's poison." For instance, a day in bed without food, or at anyrate very little food, will often seb one up and restore the spirits in a wonderful way. Again, a twenty-four hours' diet- of grapes or oranges, or both, will sometimes act like magic in the case of iuiiblooded, robust people whose overtaxed internal organs merely indicate by means of that "out of sorts" feeling that they want "a day off." If it is a very pronounced case, verging really on "a touch of liver," stronger measures are easily supplied by abstaining altogether from food for a day, substituting hot water, with or without a little salt in it. And here I shall utter a friendly warning against the excessive use of lemons, which you observe I have not prescribed at all. The fragrance and pungent sharpness df a lemon squash, either - hot or cold, according to the time of year^ is distinctly alluring, and in town, where lemons are cheap and plentiful, many people indulge in far more lemon squashes than are good for them, especially people_ who talce them without the sugar. The intense acidity of such drinks, taken frequently, is positively injurious. — Martyrs to Chilblains — who have tried' Jn vain every advertised and ' unadvertised "cure" may with confidence fall back on simple vaseline. Chilblains, as we all know, are due to defective circulation arising perhaps from many different causes. Want of exercise v poorness of blood, wearing thinly-soled and tightly-fitting boots or shoes, all or any of these may cause chilblains, the lastnamed being .a very common cause. Now, vaseline, as I have said, is an excellent application-, but common sense tells us that the only really sensible thing is to try and remove the cause erf chilblains — namely, defective circulation. Regulai exercise is most important, and this caD surely be taken by anyone in the foim of the now famous Swedish exercises (the Sandow system is considered too pro-dnctiv-e of muscle). Next, good seasonable food. It must be remembered that fat ie a good "body-warmer" — a regular physical "heater." Tha.t is why dwellers in Arctic regions, Esquimaux, Finns, Laplanders, feed on oil and blubber, just because in their struggle for existence against the awful, inexorable cold they need all the heat-producing food they can consume. . You have heard bow in old days, when '. oil was burnt in the street lamps, Leith, , the famous old Scottish Port-o' -Leith, was 1 often plunged in darkness about the lower ] quarters because the Finnish sailors ) swarmed the lamp posts and drank the ; oil ! But lam nofe a good doctor ! I- j have wandered somewhat from the treat- ( ment of chilblains. However, to p'enty \ of exercise to improve the circulation, strengthening and heat-producing food to ] enrich the blood, I will add that most \ essential item of warm underclothing, and s especially warm footwear. You see, it is \ really quite a delusion to fs,ncy that it ( is strengthening and hardening the con- \ stitution to go about thinly-clad :n viator: j on the contrary, many a case of rheuma- < tism, neuralgia., and chronic indigestion \ arises from insufficient warmth in underwear and footwear. I know how horribly ( annoying it is to find oneself looking so bulky, and hear people telling you, "Really, my dear, you are looking' so well, getting quite fat" — as if anybody wanted to be fat. But this is really a mere passing annoyance, easier to bear, you know, than neuralgia or rheumatism. Nor is it becoming to look cold : pinched and blue, with a pink little tip to one's nose, does not -improve the prettiest face.

— "How's Your Poor fl?eet?" — was an extremely fashionable bit of slang, awfully smart and up to date forty or so years ago, but when I ask the question seriously I really think I am at the cause of many of our little ailments — the locus standi — if you'll excuse the bad pun — of many a minor woe. Indigestion, diarrhoea, chronic headaches — all these may often be traced to cold feet. Is it not better to

> sacrifice vanity on the altar of health, and resign oneself to warm stockings m ; winter, and such footwear, whether boots > or shoes supplemented by spats of buttees, as ensures the feet being warmly and . not too tightly clad? o — Just a Cold — [ is like Charity in our vocabulary of little ailmems : ifc covers a multitude of ills. Is there, indeed, anything for which on the whole we receive less sympathy than a cold? And one looks so ugly! I know .really sweet-tempered families in^ which the unfortunate member who "catches a cold"' and so starts the inevitable family round is made to feel absolutely criminal — a sort of household pariah. "Oh, I say ! you've got a cold. (Jet away from me!" Now, iJersonally. I pin my faith to moderate doses of eucalyptus taken immediately one recognises the first sensation of cold, followed by a good "steam" with a few drops of eucalyptus in a jug of boiling water before going to bed. Phenacetine tabloids are also very efficacious sometimes, and spirits of camphor, used in the same way as eucalyptus, succeeds wirh some people who cannot take the former. I Many doctors recommend a small di-se of codlivfer oil, taken daily through the winter months, as a wonderful preventive in the case of patients who take cold easily. Again, colds in the chest may very often be warded off by the simple expedient of putting a layer of fine, new flannel, made as hot as possible, ot er the chest and back at the very first symptom of cold. Colds and coughs constantly recurring should never be neglected, especially in the case of young people. — One of Our Commonest Ailments — > is constipation. Thousands of women, especially those leading a sedentary life, are perfect martyrs to it in their very youth, and to all its attendant miseries in later life. Now there are so many simole remedies included in the everyday regime of our lives that one naturally wonders whether it is from ignorance or neglect that people allow this insidious physical inconvenience to become so firmly settled in the system. We read repeatedly that cne of the commonest causes of constipaiion is the want of sufficient liquid being taken into the system — a quart or three Vunts of water, either hot or cold, should be consumed during the twenty-four hours. The J use of m-edicine should be avoided as muoh [ as possible by the studied and liberal use of fruits, vegetables, and whole-meal bread. Wholesome and stimulating friction applied to the skin by means of a brisk daily rubbing of the body with a rough bath towel is a useful agent. Toast and tea, staple feminine articles of diet, are both indiscreet for persons who suff«?'' from constipation, as also are hot baths. A warm batfh followed by a cold douche and a brisk rubbing of the body is the i most healthy treatment. Fi^s and prunes are both excellent laxatives. Salt should be taken liberally on all suitable occasion*, and if toast is taken at all it may he converted into a gentle laxative by spreading with pure beef marrow. • — "Too Tired to Sleep" — is not infrequently the reason given by very busy people for a bsd night's rest. Here is a remedy which often proves effectual : — • <X Bathe the neck and tempks with lu.t water, giving particular attention to l the ' back of the neck. This treatment relaxed the muscles and veins that supply the brain with blood. Where extreme tiredness takes the form of headache, it is particularly beneficial, and a headactie may often be cured by hot applications to the back of the neck. Sometimes, when headache arises from undue fullness of the blood-vessels supplying the brain, a better circulation may be induced and the blood more evenly distributed by binding a cold wet cloth round the head, and sitting with the feet" in hot water. Indeed, the excessive use of "cachets," Guacum powders, and such headache cures is so injurious that greater reliance on these simple household remedies is much to be commended.