The Anæmic Girl.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue VII, 14 February 1903, Page 479

The Anæmic Girl.

If there is one person on earth to be pitied from the very bottom of our hearts it is the girl who suffers from anaemia- To her. indeed, life seemvery little worth living. She is languid, and hates the very least exertion; not from laziness—o'f which, poor thing, she is often accused—but from sheer inability to hurry up and work briskly. She suffers, too, from appalling headaches, some t : mes accompanied by sickness. She constantly feels and sees indistinctly Spots dance before her afflicted eyes, her breath is short ami often painful, and her heart palpitates distressingly after the slightest exert'on; even if she raises her armabove her head to do her hair, for instance, she becomes so faint that it is necessary for her to lie down before completing her toilet.

She is a martyr to constipation, and is troubled with all sorts of functional disturbances. Her ap petite is dreadfully capricious, and nearly all food causes pain and a feeding of fulness in the stomach.

Nor are indigestion and headache the only pains she is liable to. Her back and limbs ache terribly, and she is rarely free from discomfort of some description. What wonder that a girl so afflicted becomes depressed and miserable, and assumes a “nobody-loves-me” sort of attitude to all the world in general, and to her nearest and dearest friends in particular?

The anaemic girl generally has a complexion of waxy whiteness, though sudden flushes often temporarily redden the cheeks and lips; and. indeed, though the lips, gums and inner edges of the eyelids are often white and bloodless, this is not an infallible guide, and it is quite possible to be anaemic and not to look it-

Now, anaemia is a disease of the blood, so no wonder that its effects are so disastrous to the general wellbeing. Most of us know that the blood, among other things, contains a large number 1 of red corpuscles, which contain life-giving oxygen, and it is when the proper number of these red corpuscles is lacking that anaemia arises. Among the things which cause this

disease are impure air, improper diet, constipation, and decayed teeth. Fresh air, food, and rest are three of the chief weapons used to fight the foe, assisted by a judicious course of tonics; and. as the remedies are simple, the cure lies greatly in each girls own hands, unless the symptoms have become very far advanced indeed. .There is an old story of a certain king who was advised to bathe in the waters of the Jordan. This is a story that every girl who is out of health should apply to herself. We are all of us willing to go in for some big cure, but few of us will take the trouble to attend to the little dailydetails, which, if persevered in, will assure to us a certain amount of good health. To return to anaemia. The great thing is to realise the onset of the symptoms, and so prepare to fig.it them before they get thoroughly established. Many girls make a very great mistake by taking a course of iron without in any way altering their usual methods of living. Now, iron is worse than useless while constipation is present. The very first thing, therefore, to do is to set to work to cure constipation. Do not. however, make a practice of taking strong aperients, which, as a rule, only- give relief for the time being, leaving things afterwards worse than before. In ease, however, a girl has been troubled in this way for a long time, it is well to begin treatment by taking either a dose of castor-oil at bedtime, or half to one teaspoonful of cascara sagrada—a choice of disagreeables, but nevertheless a necessity.

After this, seek to get regular relief by simple means, such as strict attention to diet.

Many people make the mistake of eating unsuitable food, and taking i. to«. dry, and do not take sufficient quantity of fluids to keep the system flushed. Kat porridge, brown bread, golden syrup, green vegetables, jam in moderation, and plenty of fresh fruit.

Drink plenty of cold water during the day. And a couple of glasses the last thing at night, and the first thing in the morning, if persevertd with, will often do ail that is required.

Habit has a great deal to do with persistent constipation. Always obey the call of nature instantly, and seek to obtain relief at the same time every morning, whether there is any desire to or not.

Where dieting has not the desired effect, much assistance may be gained by gently massaging the abdomen ten or fifteen minutes every morning before taking any food whatever. Lie flat on the back with the knees raised. and rub in circles, working always from right to left.

A few simple physical exercises are often of the greatest benefit, too. Stand erect with the hands on the hips, take a long, deep breath, keeping the mouth closed. Hold it as long as possible, and then expel it with a great deal of force. Do this ten times before dressing. Another excellent exercise is to li, cn the floor or bed, draw up the

knees as far as they will go. and shoot them out wide apart- This also should be done ten times.

Decayed teeth are responsible for all sorts of trouble, and are active agents in producing anaemia. They are a resting place for all sorts and renditions of germs, which are swallowed, and lodge in the stomach ami poison the blood.

Therefore the first thing a girl with anat-mia should do is to go off to the dentist's and have her teleth thoroughly examined and attended to

A constant supply of pure air must aiso be ensured. ' A girl will sleep night after night in a room with the windows and chimney tightly closed, often with the gas burning, and wonder that she grows no better. Not only the anaemic girl, therefore, but every girl who values her health and beauty must sleep with her window

open at thci top. This need not necessitate being in a draught at all. And if she be a London lady, and dreads the ingres: •>f smuts, a piece of muslin tacked across the top of the window-frame effectually prt*vents their entrance.

By the way. an anaemic girl is a chilly niorta'. and as a bedroom fire is a luxury not within the means of all, it is well to have the keenest edge of 'the atmosphere taken off by an oil stove; lighted half an hour before getting up time; but on no account sleep with a lighted oil stove at night, as all artificial light, except.

I lielieve. electrie’ light, uses up as much air as many people do, and pure air is the most important natural factor in creating red corpuscles in the blood and curing anaemic conditions. 1 do not recommend an anaemic girl to get right into either a hot or cold bath. Nevertheless, absolute cleanliness of person is necessary and may be secured as follows: Put sufficient water into a flat-bottomed bath or tub to cover the feet completely. Fill a basin with hot water; stand in the tub and wash quickly a I over, using a tine-fibred loofah am! pure soap. Sponge down with hot water, and then fill the basin with cold; and by cold water I do not moan icy cold, but of the same warmth as it usually is in summer. This will tone up the system without giving it an undue shock.

Step out, and rub down briskly with a dry towel. And do take earto dry your towels daily after use. and not leave them hanging damp and dejected on the towel-horse from Monday to Monday. The whole washing process should not occupy more than throe minutes.

The anaemic girl should wear warm garments, the foundation of which should be a high-necked-long-sleeved woollen combination garment, and warm woollen stockings. She can complete her toilet, as she pleases, only nothing tight in the least degree roust be worn, and multitudinous trailing petticoats are best superseded by knickerbockers. The anaemic girl will probably I eel quite off her breakfast; she

should, however, try to make a light, nourishing meal, masticating her food very thoroughly. All her food must be light and nourishing.

and as digestib'e as possible; for, as 1 have before said, indigestion is not the least of her troubles.

Milk, eggs, fish, milk puddings, green vegetables, and stewed fruit are articles of diet which she should indulge in. As much fresh air and sunshine as possible, please. Active exercise, alas! that most health-giv-ing factor, is not always practicable for the girl with anaemia, as it is apt to increase palpitation of the tn art. She should, however, take short, gentle walks two or three times daily. And, as to the London g’r], there is nothing better for her n.-aith than a long ride on the top of a ’bus or tram.

And now for physic. Iron, in some form or other, is always ad visable; but sometimes there is so much stomach irritation that it disagrees. However, I have found Wyeth’s dialysed iron, or Blaud’s pills, taken one, two, or three thrice daily after food, do a good deal of good. Take one pill after each of the three principal meals of the day, increasing the number to two; afterwards, if it agrees, to three; then gradually lessen the number as the health improves.

Unfortunately, medicines given for the relief of anaemia are apt to en courage constipation- To correct this there is nothing better than a preparation of maltine and cascara sagrada, obtained at any good drug stores. A dessertspoonful to a tablespoonful should be taken after the last meal of the day. If the preparation of maltine disagrees, or the patient is stout and puffy, eascara or aloin tabloids should be substituted.

Do not forget that the depression and misery that you suffer come, not from other people or your own real

feelings, but simply because the blood is out of gear, and is letting you know it. Say to yourself. “It is not the world that is awry, it is my own works that are wrong.’’ 'lhink as little about yourself as possible, and take an interest in other people and other things.