HEALTH HINTS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1935, Page 3 (Supplement)

HEALTH HINTS

There is nothing more depressing than that “rim down” feeling, and perhaps it can be cured fairly simply and easily.

If possible never work when you have reached fatigue point. When you get to the stage when you have to force your mind or your body to obey you, the'particular thing you are doing will mean the expenditure of more than double the energy it should and you are making too big a demand upon your reserve strength. Continual demands on that must ultimately result in breakdown. Take at least an hour or two of rest and you will find that you get through your job as easily again. If this is out of the question, leave it for at least a few minutes, relax the muscles, do a deep breathing exercise ten times, and then make a fresh beginning. Deep Breathing: Few of us breathe as deeply as we should, and our powers of endurance are never developed to their full in consequence. Take half a dozen deep breaths first thing in the morning and notice how soon the lassitude which most people feel upon rising disappears. Repeat this deep breathing whenever you think of it during the day. It is quite easy to do while walking out of doors, and after a spell of concentrated effort in the house or the office a few deep breaths will take away the feeling of strain. People who get through a deal of work, and those who are noticeably successful in all that they undertake, are usually deep breathers. Soothing Baths: Baths are not resorted to as often as they might be to soothe frayed nerves. After a particularly trying day take a tenminute bath in water about 94 degrees in temperature. This is not too hot to be enervating, nor is it unpleasantly lukewarm, but of just the right heat to refresh and soothe. Pine salts will make it fragrant and more refreshing. Relax in the water, laving the limbs gently with it and really enjoying the rest. Do not exceed the ten minutes, and, after a thorough rub down, get into comfortable clothes or go to bed. A bath of this type will often prevent a sleepless night. Food at Forty: The woman who has reached the age of forty needs a good deal less food than her sister who is, say, ten years younger. The system is unable to deal with the hearty meals she may have been in the habit of taking in younger, more active days, and she will find that she is

better in health if she eats sparingly, especially of meat and fats. Afternoon tea might be given up altogether, except for just a cup of tea or one of hot water. It. is a ’great mistake to indulge in sandwiches, bread and butter, and cakes between an adequate lunch and a more or less substantial dinner. Meat once a day is quite sufficient, and most women of this age would feel the benefit if they sometimes substituted fish for beef or mutton.

Before Dinner: It is never wise to eat when mentally over-tired, nor to sit down to the principal meal of the day feeling physically exhausted. The digestive system is not in a fit state to deal with any food which may be taken and the most nourishing diet would be useless in such a condition. If only five minutes are available beforehand, lie down on a couch or bed, let the whole body relax, and try to feel as though its weight needs no control fre i you—that the bed or couch is supporting it entirely. If, after this slight relaxing, there is time, take a warm bath or sponge the face, neck and hands, and put on a fresh frock. This will often make all the difference and counteract the feeling of exhaustion. Mouth Massage: Gums which have “spongy” tendencies have a very bad effect on the teeth. At the first sign of this sponginess or of any tendency towards receding gums an astringent lotion should be used. A mixture of tannin, bark and myrrh will be mixed in the right proportions by any chemist, and the gums should be massaged with this by gentle rubbing with a pei-fectly clean finger tip, or with a very soft tooth brush. Massage of the gums is a very good thing even when they are quite healthy, and might be done with advantage every day after the teeth have been cleaned. A Pick-Me-Up: One of the best pick-me-ups the tired man or woman can take is two lumps of sugar dissolved in a tumbler of hot water. If you are -feeling tired, exhausted or overwhelmed by work which causes considerable mental strain, sit down quietly for five minutes and sip the sugar-water. It will give you new energy in an astonishingly short space

of time, and take away the feeling of depression which often comes with fatigue. It is a much safer pick-me-up than aspirin and leaves no tiresome after-effects. Home-made Invalid Jelly: Remove all the fat from a ‘ pint and a-half of good stock and place it in a lined pan with the rinds of three lemons and ten ounces of loaf sugar. Stir till the sugar dissolves, then add the juice of the lemons. Allow to cool. Whisk in the beaten whites of three eggs, and add the egg shells, which should be well crushed. Return to the fire and bring to the boil undisturbed. Simmer for ten minutes, then strain through very fine muslin. Pour in half a pint of sherry and stir well, and lastly add a glass of brandy. Sore throat is an affliction to which every human being is liable. Try cold compresses whenever convenient, and as often as possible take the inhalation cure . . . Add a tea-

spoonful of friar’s balsam to a jugful of boiling water. Swathe a towel round the head, covering the jug also, and inhale the steam for some minutes. If these measures do not effect a cure, get the chemist to make. up a small quantity of glycerine of alum and glycerine of carbolic acid in equal parts. Add a teaspoonful of the mixture to a glassful of warrh water, and gargle with it three times a day. Be careful not to swallow any of the gargle mixture.