the public, that certain drugs act upon the alimentary tract with
beneficial effect in cases of intestinal congestion. This is untrue.
The facts are the intestines act upon the drug. The drug is an
offense to Nature, and when it is taken into the stomach and passed
on to the intestines, the body-fluids are severely drawn upon to
neutralize the poison, and to cast it out. The result, therefore, of
taking poisons, miscalled "laxatives," is that each time the act is
repeated, the liver and the peristaltic muscles are weakened, and
rendered more and more abnormal, and less and less able to perform
their natural functions.
[Sidenote: Suggestions for the relief of constipation]
That system of treatment which has been prescribed for fermentation
will, in most cases, relieve constipation. The treatment should be
varied, however, according to the age and the occupation of the
patient, governed by the season of the year, or the foods available
at the time of treatment. If diagnosis of the patient reveals the
fact that constipation has been caused primarily by overeating, the
quantity of food should be reduced, and the articles changed so as
to include a generous quantity of cellulose (coarse foods).
The following bill of fare may be given under ordinary conditions:
Immediately on rising, take two or three cups of water, the
juice of one or two oranges, or half a pound of grapes,
swallowing the seeds and pulp whole, masticating only the
skins. Devote from eight to ten minutes to vigorous exercise,
especially movements Nos. 3 and 5, as shown in "Exercise and
Re-creation," Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345.
BREAKFAST
Half a cup of coarse wheat bran, cooked ten minutes; serve with
thin cream
Whole wheat, boiled five or six hours
One or two very ripe bananas, with either nuts or thin cream
LUNCHEON
One or two fresh vegetables
A "two-minute" egg or a very small portion of fish
A heaping tablespoonful of bran
DINNER
Two of the following vegetables: Corn, carrots, peas, beans,
parsnips, turnips, onions
A baked potato
Celery, lettuce, or anything green, with nuts
One egg
A tablespoonful of wheat bran
From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these
meals.
These menus are merely suggestive. They may be varied according
to judgment, depending upon the habits and the environments of
the patient. Curative feeding for constipation is one of the most
important departments of this work, and will receive special
consideration in the volume of Menus.
FOODS THAT MAY BE SUBSTITUTED FOR ONE ANOTHER
The menus may also be varied by substituting the articles herein
given for other things of the same general class.
EXAMPLES:
{Evaporated peaches
Dried fruits {Evaporated apricots
{Prunes
The above are all in the same general class, and may be
substituted for one another.
{Dates
Sweet fruits {Figs --All form another class
{Raisins
{Eggs
Dairy products {Milk
and Meats {Fish
{Fowl
These compose the nitrogenous group, and may be substituted for
one another.
{Carrots
Vegetables {Parsnips --Are in the same group
{Turnips
{Beans
Legumes {Peas --Are in the same general class
{Lentils
{Barley Rice
Cereals {Corn Rye
{Oats Wheat
Barley, corn, oats, rice, rye and wheat are the six great
staples, which grouped are called cereals. They form the
carbohydrate class of grains, and may be substituted for one
another. In cases of constipation, however, whole wheat and rye
are preferable, owing to the large amount of bran they contain.
{Dandelion
{Kale
Edible succulent {Lettuce --Belong to same class
Plants {Parsley
{Romaine
{Spinach
Citrus fruits {Grapefruit
{Lemons
{Limes
{Oranges
All citrus-fruits (fruits containing citric acid), so far as
their action upon the liver is concerned, have practically the
same effects, and substantially the same nutritive value.
[Sidenote: Milk may be laxative or constipating]
Whether or not milk is constipating depends entirely upon how it
is taken, and the articles with which it is combined. In small
quantities, from one to two glasses at a time, milk is constipating.
However, if taken at intervals of fifteen or twenty minutes, a
quantity is very soon taken, greater than the hydrochloric acid of
the stomach can convert into curd, therefore the surplus quantity
becomes rather laxative. In many years' experience I have rarely
treated a case of constipation that would not readily yield to milk
and to coarse vegetables, or bran, if taken in this way; however,
the milk diet should not be given longer than two or three days at
one time. After this period adopt the menus herein given, varying
them by selecting different articles from the several groups named.
When the bowel action has become regular, the milk period should be
reduced, and the breadless diet extended until the milk is entirely
withdrawn. (See "Emaciation--The Remedy," p. 482)
[Sidenote: Hernia due to abdominal pressure]
Man undoubtedly sprang from anthropoid stock. His original position
of locomotion was upon his four feet. The intestines, therefore,
rested upon a flexible belly surface, but since he has risen and
changed his two front paws into hands, the intestines are inclined,
with every step, to sag to the bottom of the abdominal cavity, and
are prevented from so doing only by small ligaments attached to the
abdominal walls. Hernia or rupture is exceedingly common owing to
this downward pressure in the lower part of the abdominal cavity.
The position maintained while walking, therefore, is not conducive
to the relief of that pressure in the abdomen, which is the direct
cause of hernia, and often the cause of very stubborn intestinal
congestion.
[Sidenote: Remedial and counteractive exercises]
It is obvious, therefore, that this condition needs remedial
exercise. It will be observed that all the movements given in the
lesson on "Exercise and Re-creation" bring the trunk to a horizontal
position with the body leaning forward. All of these movements are
designed to counteract this abdominal pressure.
[Sidenote: Exercise a necessity in counteracting constipation]
I go thus into detail for the purpose of showing the great necessity
of these exercises, especially in cases of constipation, and of
insisting that they be executed vigorously and regularly. _The most
beneficial diet that could be prescribed will not relieve and cure
constipation unless it is supplemented by certain remedial exercises
or movements._ This is true because Nature contemplates a certain
amount of motion exactly as she contemplates a certain amount of
nutrition, and her laws governing motion are just as mandatory and
her penalties just as certain.
[Sidenote: Proper nourishment promotes natural desire for exercise]
Nutrition is of more importance because it is more fundamental,
and it is more fundamental because when the body is naturally
nourished, there is created a surplus amount of energy which will
compel a certain amount of motion, and this in turn will cause
deep or full breathing. Therefore the well-fed person will take
his exercise because he has an appetite for it, or because the
superabundance of energy forces him to do it in obedience to the
same law that produces hunger. Hence the perfectly nourished body
will conform automatically to the other two great physical laws of
motion and of oxidation.
_Constipating Foods_ _Laxative Foods_
--------------------- ---------------
All white flour products All green salads
Blackberries Apples
Cheese Apricots
Chestnuts Beet-tops
Corn-starch Celery
Fine corn-meal Figs
Macaroni Peaches
Oatmeal Persimmons
Red meat Plums
Rice Prunes
Spaghetti Spinach
Sweet potatoes Turnips-tops
White bread Wheat bran
Whole wheat
_Constipating Beverages_ _Laxative Beverages_
------------------------ --------------------
All alcoholic stimulants Mineral water containing magnesia
Chocolate Unsweetened fruit-juice
Cocoa Water--lime-free
Coffee
Cream
Lime-water
Milk (In small quantities)
Tea
In cases of constipation:
OMIT EAT
Baked beans All fresh vegetables
Chestnuts Apricots
Cheese Bananas
Coffee, tea, chocolate Grapes--seeds, skins and all
Corn products Nuts
Cream Peaches
Flesh food of all kinds Plums
Intoxicants Prunes
Milk Succulent plants
Oatmeal Tomatoes
Rice Wheat bran
Sweet potato Whole wheat
Tobacco Rye
White flour products
Drink plain water with meals.
GASTRITIS
Gastritis is a word meant to describe a chronic and a painful
condition of stomach and of intestinal irritation. When the stomach
becomes much irritated from constant fermentation of food, and from
the resultant presence of acid, certain articles such as milk,
fruit-acids, and starchy foods will cause rapid accumulation of gas,
which becomes exceedingly painful and sometimes dangerous.
[Sidenote: Gas, the primary cause of heart trouble]
The majority of deaths from so-called heart-failure is caused
directly by the accumulation of gas from the fermenting mass of
food in the stomach and in the intestines. These organs become
greatly inflated, and their pressure against all the vital organs,
and against the arteries leading into and out of the lungs and
the heart so impair the circulation that the heart action becomes
very irregular--first slow and faint; sometimes skipping a beat,
and again violent and palpitating. When the congested blood spurts
through into the heart it is called "arterial overflow," and the old
diagnostician seems to have been content with giving this a name.
It is certain they have not yet given the world a remedy, as the
regular profession is still prescribing such drugs as bicarbonate
of soda, bismuth subnitrate, and nux vomica, none of which can give
more than temporary relief, and that is accomplished by neutralizing
the acid at the tremendous expense of the cells that secrete it.
GASTRITIS--THE CAUSE
Gastritis is caused:
1 By the use of stimulants
2 Irritating foods, condiments, etc.
3 Overeating, especially of acid fruits, starches and sweets
4 Cirrhosis of the liver is sometimes one of the secondary
causes of gastritis
GASTRITIS--THE SYMPTOMS
The symptoms are usually a dull pain in the region of the stomach
and upper intestines, a swollen full feeling, now and then biting
pains, followed by a dark vomit, especially when the attack comes
late at night.
Gastritis is often confused with gastric cancer, and in diagnosis
it is difficult to speak with authority as to whether the case is
ordinary gastritis, as above described, gastric ulcer, or gastric
cancer. The diagnostician in making up his opinion must be governed
largely by the time the condition has endured, and the immediate
causes, giving especial care to the food and drink that has been
consumed just prior to the attack.
GASTRITIS--THE REMEDY
In severe cases the patient should be given a glass of cool water.
In fact, one of the best means of allaying the inflammation of
gastritis--or as a matter of fact any other inflammation--is cool
water.
All food should be omitted for at least twenty-four hours, then the
patient should be given vegetable juice prepared as follows:
Grind spinach, carrots, squash, or turnips, any two or three of
these, very fine; cook about ten minutes in enough water to make
a pint of thin vegetable soup. Put through a colander; strain
through a coarse cloth, discarding the pulp. Give this to the
patient every two hours in quantities not more than one or two
ounces, dependent upon the condition.
The diet may be varied by changing vegetables, always selecting one
green plant such as spinach, lettuce, beet or turnip-tops. As the
patient improves more of the pulp may be used. After the second or
third day a thin puree may be used, care being exercised not to
overfeed.
[Sidenote: Foods to be used in the treatment of gastritis]
In milder cases the patient should be fed after the same methods,
only more of the vegetable pulp may be used, thereby increasing the
strength of the diet after four or five days; or, when the patient
shows signs of substantial recovery, egg whites, baked potatoes, and
the ordinary fresh vegetables may be given in moderate quantities.
Inasmuch as stomach fermentation is the beginning or parent cause of
gastritis, the causes, symptoms, and menus given for fermentation
would apply in cases of gastritis, limiting the quantity of food
according to the severity of the condition.
In cases of gastritis:
OMIT (In severe cases) EAT (In severe cases)
Coffee Baked bananas
Condiments Egg whites
Flesh foods Lettuce
Fruit Puree of tender beans
Intoxicants Puree of tender carrots
Starchy foods Puree of tender corn
Sweets Puree of tender peas
Tea Spinach
Tobacco Squash
Vegetable juices
In the earlier stages of acute gastritis, all foods should be
omitted except, perhaps, vegetable juices. (See recipe, p. 451.)
See also Fermentation and Superacidity, pp. 424 and 418.
NERVOUS INDIGESTION
[Sidenote: Mental effects of nervousness]
There are millions of nerve fibers leading out from the stomach and
alimentary tract to every part of the anatomy, so that the nervous
connection, especially between the stomach and the brain, is very
direct and sensitive. The stomach seems to bear the same relation to
the brain that a basket bears to a balloon so far as their nervous
connection is concerned. Thus it is that the irritated stomach
produces an irritable temper, insomnia, forgetfulness, and a lack of
ability to concentrate the thoughts. These are the milder symptoms
or first warnings.
NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE CAUSE
The use of stimulants or narcotics, such as tea, coffee, liquor
and tobacco are most prolific causes of nervousness. These drugs
act upon the body in a dual capacity: (1) They excite or raise the
nervous system above normal, only to drop it below when the reaction
takes place. (2) In addition to this, they irritate the stomach and
the intestines by causing superacidity.
Nervousness caused by sedatives and narcotics acts both upon the
mental and the physical organism, and the source of such nervousness
can be easily traced by ascertaining the habits of the patient.
[Sidenote: Abnormal appetite for sweets and starches]
When the patient has used stimulants and narcotics long enough
to cause nervousness, the mucous membrane of the stomach is
usually in a state of irritation. The presence of blood, under
these conditions, causes abnormal appetite, frequently followed
by overeating, especially of sweets, starches, and acids, for
which the patient usually has a great craving. This is followed
by fermentation, and comes into or envelops superacidity and must
necessarily be classed with it.
Overeating and the constant use of stimulants and narcotics will,
after a time, cause a chronic state of fermentation, and the stomach
will seldom be free from acid, the constant presence of which will
ultimately cause gastric ulcer, and perhaps stomach carcinoma.
NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE SYMPTOMS
[Sidenote: Nature's final symptoms]
The more advanced stages of stomach irritation which are expressed
by nervousness cause melancholia and a gloomy sort of pessimism.
These are among the last signals the stomach gives to the brain
before final collapse, and if these signals are not heeded, the
victim may expect to go down in the maelstrom of nervous prostration
within twelve months from the time the first signals are given.
These fits or spells of melancholia often come on suddenly. The
palms of the hands become moist with a cold, clammy perspiration,
and the mind is flooded with a train of thoughts such as "What's
the use of living?" "Why all this struggle for mere existence?"
The victim of this condition invariably believes that his mind is
becoming affected; that he is becoming insane, and will soon be a
public charge, and shunned by those whom he loves. While under these
spells many people take their own lives rather than face what they
believe to be insanity and ostracism.
The patient should be made acquainted with his true condition, and
shown that it is only temporary, and that all such thoughts are mere
mental aberrations which will disappear when the causes of stomach
irritation are removed.
The above-named symptoms always point with certainty to an irritated
stomach, the severity of which can be determined by the symptoms
above described.
[Sidenote: Difference between stomach and intestinal irritation]
_Stomach irritation_ is expressed largely through the _mind_, as
in irritability, nervousness and melancholia, while _intestinal
irritation_ is generally expressed by some _physical symptom_, such
as restlessness, twitching of the muscles and a general lack of
physical tranquillity.
There is another form of nervousness believed to be caused by
overwork, business worries, etc. With these opinions the writer
does not agree. If the body is properly fed one is not likely to
overwork. Nature will demand rest, and sleep will come while at the
desk, or when following the plow.
[Sidenote: Acidity the cause of worry]
Investigators are much divided on the question of whether worry
causes superacidity, or superacidity causes worry. The experience of
the writer in treating several thousand cases of stomach acidity has
proved beyond a doubt that acid fermentation and stomach irritation
are the primary causes, and what is commonly called "worry" is
merely a symptom or result of this condition. It is quite evident,
therefore, that all forms of nervousness must go back to the food
question for final solution.
NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE REMEDY
Nervous indigestion should be treated as follows:
1 The patient should employ his time in pleasant but useful
occupation
2 As to diet, _omit_ the following:
All red meats
Acid fruits
Bread and cereals
Condiments
Pickles
{Such as--
{Candies
Sweets {Cane or maple-sugar
{Dates and figs
{Desserts and pastries of all kinds
{Sirups
3 The diet should consist of--
An abundance of green salads
Baked potatoes (Including the skins)
Egg whites
Fats--limited quantity--
Such as--
Dairy butter
Nut butter
Olive-oil
Nuts
Fresh vegetables--not canned
{Beans
Legumes {Peas
{Lentils
In cases of Nervous Indigestion:
OMIT EAT
Acid fruits Baked potatoes
Bread and cereals Fats (limited quantity)
Coffee and tea Fresh vegetables
Condiments Green salads
Desserts and pastries Legumes
Pickles Limited quantity of milk (preferably
Red meats sour)
Stimulants of all kinds White of eggs
Sweets
Tobacco
The experience of the writer for many years has been that the _fewer
the articles composing the diet, the better the progress could
be made in treating nervous indigestion. In many instances, the
mono-diet system (eating only one kind of food at a meal) has been
adopted with excellent results_.
SUBACIDITY
Indigestion is a term used to describe the condition caused by food
remaining in the stomach _over_ Nature's time-limit. In such cases
there is usually a lack of hydrochloric acid. This disorder is
sometimes called hyperchlorhydria. The expression of indigestion,
which is a lack of acid, and the expression superacidity or
hyperchlorhydria, which is too much acid, are often confusing,
inasmuch as both conditions cause a feeling of heaviness or a lump
in the stomach. (See "Superacidity," p. 419.)
SUBACIDITY--THE CAUSE
The most prolific cause of subacidity is sedentary habits or lack of
activity. This is especially true of young people, while in adults,
or those who have passed forty, the usual cause is incorrect eating,
or an unbalanced diet.
Another cause of subacidity is the overconsumption of flesh foods.
Flesh requires considerable acid for dissolution; sometimes more
than is normally supplied by the stomach, and consequently results
in indigestion or non-dissolution.
The over-consumption of either starchy foods or sweets may produce
the same result. It is therefore obvious that this particular
disorder is caused primarily either by overeating or by an
unbalanced dietary.
SUBACIDITY--THE SYMPTOMS
1 Brown coating on the tongue--
The _white_ coating on the tongue always indicates too much
acid, hence predigestion; while the _brown_ coating indicates
insufficient acid, hence indigestion. The _white_ coating shows
the action of the acid on the stomach lining, while the _brown_
coating shows the decomposition of food matter in the stomach,
usually accompanied by an offensive breath.
2 Gas in the stomach--
Gas sometimes appears in the stomach immediately after eating.
This shows that food, in a state of fermentation, remains in the
stomach from a previous meal. It also shows that the stomach
may be prolapsed; that is, dropped down below its normal level.
A sort of pocket is thus frequently formed in which a small
quantity of food remains from one meal to another, causing an
immediate formation of gas after eating.
SUBACIDITY--THE REMEDY
The logical remedy is to limit the amount of food to the actual
requirements of the body, and especially to balance the daily bill
of fare in conformity to the chemistry of nutrition.
[Sidenote: Diet in cases of subacidity]
In cases of chronic indigestion or impoverished acid secretions,
it often becomes necessary to prescribe a counteractive diet,
the composition of which should be determined by the cause of the
disorder. If the cause be over-consumption of meat, the patient
should be given a breakfast of acid fruits, and nuts and salads;
while if the cause be over-consumption of starchy foods, all legumes
and grain products of every kind should be omitted, and a diet of
subacid fruits, an abundance of green salads, and even some flesh
now and then, such as tender fish or fowl, should be prescribed.
In all cases the special object should be to prescribe an amount of
food for the first few days somewhat below the normal requirements
of the body, and after the counteractive diet has been taken
for three or four days, the menu should be balanced daily as to
nutritive elements. By observance of these rules, together with a
reasonable observance of the laws of exercise, fresh air and deep
breathing, the most obstinate cases of indigestion or subacidity can
be overcome.
In cases of Subacidity:
OMIT EAT
Cereals All acid fruits with meals
Coffee and tea Buttermilk
Flesh foods Fish
Liquors Fresh vegetables
Sweets Potatoes
Tobacco Sautern wine, sparingly
White bread Succulent plants
Tea
Tomatoes
Wheat bran
Whole wheat
See "Diet in cases of subacidity," p. 464.
BILIOUSNESS
Biliousness is the supersecretion of bile; that is to say, more
of this fluid is secreted by the liver than is required for the
ordinary processes of digestion, and the excess passes into the
stomach.
BILIOUSNESS--THE CAUSE
Biliousness is caused, in a majority of cases, by the
overconsumption of fats, milk, eggs, and sweets, or by taking
stimulants, especially such as malted or brewed liquors.
BILIOUSNESS--THE SYMPTOMS
The presence of bile in the stomach interferes with the
stomach-secretion, thus causing faulty digestion and severe
headache, usually starting at the back of the head and ending in a
severe pain over the eyes. The complexion becomes sallow and there
is a general decline in strength and vitality.
BILIOUSNESS--THE REMEDY
The logical remedy is to remove the above causes by eliminating from
the diet such articles as tea, coffee, distilled, brewed and malted
liquors of every character, and sweets, selecting such foods as will
give to the body all the elements of nutrition, and so combining
them as to furnish these elements in the right proportions.
(See menus for "Constipation," Vol. III, p. 761).
In cases of Biliousness:
OMIT EAT
Coffee and tea Bananas
Cream Coarse cereals
Egg yolks Egg whites
Fats Fresh vegetables
Intoxicants Fruit
Milk Melons
Sweets Nuts
Wines and liquors of all kinds Succulent plants
Wheat bran
CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER
THE CAUSE
Cirrhosis of the liver, or Hanot's Disease, is a condition
characterized by degeneration of the liver cells, usually
associated with a fatty infiltration.