TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 109, 9 May 1936, Page 3

TALKS ON HEALTH

Social News, Fashions and General Topics

(By A FAMILY DOCTOR).

TONGUE AND STOMACH (By a Family Doctor) The condition of the tongue varies with, the condition of the stomach.. That i is why doctors look at it. If we could ; look into the stomach and .-ec for our- j Selves we should much ptefer it, but I as we cannot do that we have to be content with studying the appearance of the tongue. The tongue and the inside of the lips and cheeks may show a number of small, shallow ulcers whitish in colour and sore to touch. A soothing mouth was'h should be used every two hours, and the mouth and teeth should be cleaned after every meal. But the ulcers will not disappear until the digestion is attended to. A carefully selected diet, ieducing the quantity of food taken, and regular times for meals, will have their good effect in a week or ten day.-. You good people invariably make the mistake of treating the local (condition.*, forgetting that the body is one and that the treatmen of one part involves the treatment of other organs. And so you wash out I you’ - mouth to cure the ulcers, while I nt the same time you fill up your inte'ides with beer, cold pork, pickles, curries, cucumber, and wedding cake. The Dental Ulcer Another kind of ulcer that may appear on the tongue is the dental ulcer - —the variety that owes its origin to the sharp edge of a jagged Lcoth. If the tooth is removed the ulcer heals. If the raw spot, however, is neglected it (may be the beginning of cancer, especially in the male sex. The irritation of the stem of a tobacco pipe will tal'so cause an -ulcer. Cancer on the Tongue Cancer on the tongue is a disease of the male sex; it is not coojjiou to sec a case in a woman. The only hope is to see the case early. It is fatal to say that there is no need to bother about it, that it will go away when the spring comes, that it is due to impurity of the blood, and that a dose of salts will I ©end it away. Every case of ulcer of the tongue that does not rapidly heal under common-sense methods must be taken seriously. An eany and complete removal of the diseased tissue is what is needed. 1 would rather have my sore place, if 1 had one, removed and destroyed than remain in my mouth. An ulcer may form under the tip of the tongue in a child with whooping cough. In toughing the tongue is rubbed against the sharp lower teeth. The tongue should be gently bathed with warm boracie lotion, and if the child is old enough he shouid be taught to keep his tongue back off his teeth when he coughs. Blushing a Disease In some unfortunate individuals 'blushing becomes almost a disease, and (the cheek suffuses when tbeie is no earthly reason. It is mo»t trying for an innocent man accused of some crime 'to find himself blushing up to the roots •of his hair. In discussing this subject, 'it is ne-cessary for me to remind you •that you have a mind as well as a body, and that these two are dependent one on the other. A bad temper may give you indigestion, or indigestion may •give you a temper. When you cry the 'tears come in consequence of vour mental condition, and the way to prevent tears is to govern your inind, not to I put so-me anti-tear lotion in your eves. Mental w-orry may take away your appetite and your sleep, and your normal health will not be icstoreil by I drugs until the worry is removed or overcome. Treat the mind, not the body. A man may get into his head that he is so wicked, such a miserable sinner, that he will never be forgiven; and he may, in consequence of his erroneous belief, worry himself into a weak state of health. If you want to cure this man you must treat his m'nd. not h’s body. If you cannot face the ordeal of asking for a dance without 'blushing, practice with a chair in your bedroom all by yourself. After a few rehearsals like this you wd.' laugh at the idea of not being able to do it i without blushing. When you enter the j ballroom choose the young lady and deliver your speech boldly, and when you find you can do it without blushing, think of me, and bless me. Join a deI bating society, and make some sort of I a speech at -all costs. If you can stand ion your feet for a few minutes in front of everybody, it will be a good start, ■ oven if your tongue cleaves to the roof of your mouth and you s-ay not a word. Your friends will give you <i little symi pathetic applause. Stick to it, and the !| end of a year you will be a fair speaker II and will be able to demolish your op- ! ponents without a single blush. J Mental Discipline I It is a'rl a matter of mental disU J i pline. 1 shall never forgive you if you swallow thirteen bottled of medicine and then write to me and sav you ex- | | perience no improvement. The mind I and the body are connected very closely j There are diseases of the mind and | diseases of the body. One man has a I brilliant intellect and a feeble body; ! another has splendid health, but is half '.mad; a third has a mental infirmity which manifests itself in some bodily defect and under this latter category Iwe must place blushing. A child who blushes should be treated with sympathy and kindness; it is cruel to make . the child worse by laughing at him I There are some. people wco blush so • much that they feel comfortable when ; they are so tanned by the summer sun , that the blush does not sh-w. Ravages of Consumption i For hundreds of years men. women, I and children have been dying like flies 1 from tuberculosis, and we have grown . accustomed to the fact. Imagine for a moment that tuberculosis was unknown, l and then suddenly the number of deaths e jumped to one thousand per week. It 1 would be such a dramatic event that we t should talk about nothing else. And c yet. as things are, we do not bother ■ our heads about such a ” trifling” fact i that that thousands of people die of consumption yearly.