EVERYBODY�S GUIDE TO NATURE CURE.
By Harry Benjamin N.D.
Compiled
and edited by Ivor Hughes
DISEASES
OF THE STOMACH AND INTESTINES (Part 3 of 3)
Fissure of Anus.
� This is a fissure or crack in the mucous lining covering the muscle
situated at the end of the bowel, which is concerned in the work of emptying
the bowel content. It is a most painful affliction, and is the outcome of
persistent straining at stool, as a result of chronic constipation and the
purgative habit. Often haemorrhoids (or piles) are present at the same time,
as a result of the same causes, and this makes the condition relatively
worse so far as pain and discomfort are concerned.
Treatment. �- Obviously the only sure way to cure the fissure, and
prevent the occurrence of further trouble of the same kind, is to get rid of
the chronic constipation which is at the root of the whole matter. No amount
of palliative treatment by means of drugs can achieve this end ; nor can
surgical operation succeed in so doing, however much it may relieve matters
at the time. The sufferer from fissure is referred to the treatment for Fistula,
given in the following pages, for the only sane and natural method of curing
his condition. Not only will the fissure be cured in time by such treatment,
but the underlying chronic constipation too ; without the overcoming of
which, a return of trouble of a similar kind would be almost inevitable.
(Read also the remarks on the purgative habit in the treatment for
Constipation, .)
Fistula. � Fistula is an abscess upon the rectum, and, like a fissure, is a most painful affliction. Its cause is chronic constipation in every case, the poisons from putrefactive bowel material being retained over-long in the bowel, and forming into the abscess in question. Treatment for the condition by means of operation, which is the usual one favoured in medical circles � does nothing to get rid of the underlying constipation which was the cause of the fistula in the first place, and so does nothing to prevent the occurrence of further bowel trouble later on � something which is more or less certain to occur.
Treatment. � The only sane and logical treatment for fistula is by natural methods, which will get rid of the underlying constipation and remove the excess toxic matter thus constantly being formed. Such natural treatment may take longer to achieve results than spectacular medical methods, but once achieved, these results are far more certain and lasting in every way. The way to begin the treatment is as follows : Commence with a fast for from four to seven days, according to the severity of the case. The fast should then be followed by seven to fourteen days on the restricted diet outlined in the Appendix. After the fast and restricted diet, the full weekly dietary given in the Appendix can be begun.
A further fast and period on the restricted diet may be necessary in some cases, a month or so after the first period of fasting and restricted dieting has been completed, and perhaps yet a third period still later. (This can be left to the patient to decide, according to the progress being made.) From the time the treatment is begun, the warm-water enema should be used nightly to cleanse the bowels, and the rules for the eradication of Constipation given under that heading in the present section should be put into operation forthwith. The daily dry friction and sitz-bath should also form a regular feature of the treatment (see Appendix), as also the scheme of physical and other exercises outlined therein.
A hot Epsom-salts bath should be taken three times weekly for the first month, and twice weekly thereafter; and a hot and cold sitz-bath should be taken every night (for the time being), except on those nights on which an Epsom-salts bath is being taken. (Details of the Epsom-salts bath and hot and cold sitz-bath will be found in the Appendix.) The affected part should also be bathed several times daily with hot and cold fomentations. A piece of linen material is wrung out in hot water and applied for two or three minutes, then a second and later a third for the same length of time ; after which a cold application is applied. Always work in this order, viz. three hot, one cold application. Spinal manipulation�if at all procurable�is of assistance in these cases ; but such auxiliary treatment, although most helpful, is by no means essential. The main scheme of treatment advised above will achieve all the results required in time, with perseverance.
Future attention to diet is most essential. Tea, coffee, alcohol, and all condiments, etc., must be avoided. Meat and other flesh "foods should be left out of the future dietary as far as possible, and their place taken by the dairy products, eggs, cheese, and milk. Fruits and salads must form the bulk of the future dietary.
Flatulence. � Although a certain amount of flatulence is possible to everyone, serious or persistent flatulence is a sign of disturbed digestion, and is due to the habitual eating of unwise food mixtures and combinations. By means of the gases thus thrown off, Nature strives to rid the system of the fermenting elements which are interfering with proper digestion. The taking of bicarbonate of soda or other medicinal preparations, for purposes of securing relief, is not the way to cure the trouble, but to make it chronic. Such methods only relieve effects at best; they never get rid of causes. For the natural treatment of flatulence, which is a usual accompaniment to chronic indigestion, the reader is referred to the treatment for that condition in the following pages of the present section.
Gastric Catarrh. � Gastric catarrh is essentially a form of disease due to wrong feeding. Through habitual eating of excessive amounts of food materials, aided by the consumption of equally excessive quantities of liquids, the mucous lining of the stomach becomes affected in tone and its normal action is interfered with. When strong tea, coffee, alcohol, strong condiments, sauces, pickles, etc., etc., form a regular feature of the dietary, the mucous lining begins to become seriously irritated, and to protect itself it throws off excessive quantities of mucous, which interfere yet further with normal digestion, and in this way catarrh of the stomach arises. Although catarrh of the stomach may be allied in the same individual 'with catarrh of the nose and throat, it is not the outcome of the dropping of mucus from the nose and throat into the stomach as many believe. The point is that wrong feeding habits which will set up nasal catarrh can also set up gastric catarrh in the same person .
Treatment. � The taking of medicinal drugs for the relief of the condition, whilst at the same time carrying on with the same unwise feeding habits which have set up the trouble in the first place, is obviously not the way to secure a permanent cure. The only real remedy for gastric catarrh lies in a thorough cleansing of the whole digestive tract and the adoption of a scheme of diet which will allow the stomach lining to normalise itself, instead of becoming more and more irritated. For such a scheme of treatment the reader is referred to that for Chronic Indigestion, to be found in the following pages of the present section . If such treatment is followed consistently, not only will the stomach trouble be cured, but the whole general health will be greatly enhanced.
Gastric Ulcer. � The only foods which are really digested in the stomach are protein foods, i.e. meat, fish, cheese, eggs, nuts, milk, etc. Starches and fats are not affected by the gastric juices, and have to pass through into the intestines for final digestion. (The digestion of starchy foods is really begun in the mouth, through impregnation with the saliva, but their final digestion is completed in the intestines.)
When the stomach is continually overloaded with a mass of demineral-ised starchy foods in the shape of white bread, boiled, mashed, or fried potatoes, refined cereals of all kinds, puddings, pies, etc., etc., this starchy mass has to wait behind until the protein portions of the meal�the meat, fish, eggs, etc.� have been digested, to be itself enabled to pass into the intestines for final digestion. The result is that where there is constant bodily stagnation through sedentary work, lack of exercise, etc., fermentation and souring readily occur in the stomach, because of the presence of all this stagnant mass of undigested starchy food lying by whilst the proteins are being acted upon by the gastric juices, and acids of fermentation of various kinds are constantly formed. (The more hastily these same starchy foods are eaten, the more readily does fermentation occur, because they will have had little or no time to be acted upon by the saliva when in the mouth�a process most necessary to thorough starch digestion.)
When we realise that sugary foods (especially the demineralised kind, such as white sugar, jams, etc.), although more or less directly absorbed into the blood-stream when taken into the stomach, yet further intensify the fermenting and souring propensities of starches when present in conjunction with proteins (as also do condiments, sauces, pickles, etc.), we can begin to see something of the reason why stomach troubles in general, and ulcers of the stomach in particular, occur so frequently in these days of indiscriminate feeding. The acids which form during the fermentation and souring of starchy and sugary foods in the stomach have a most detrimental effect upon the delicate stomach lining (as also do condiments, sauces, strong seasonings, etc.), especially in the case of those whose general health-level is very much below par, as a result of general wrong living and other factors.
These acids of fermentation, together with the gastric juices�which are intensely acid in reaction�sometimes succeed in eating right through the surface layer of this protective stomach lining, and thus begin the formation of a stomach ulcer. Once the ulcer is started in this way, all food of starchy and sugary origin�to say nothing of highly spiced foods, seasonings, etc.�only serve to aggravate the trouble, and, if not checked in time, the ulcer succeeds sometimes in boring right through the stomach walls into the peritoneum, in which case serious complications occur.
The chief symptoms of ulcers of the stomach are intense pain, vomiting, and occasional haemorrhage. The pain is the most consistent symptom, and may come on from half an hour to two hours after eating. Those with duodenal ulcers experience exactly the same symptoms, only in their case the pain is felt a little to the right of, and above, the navel, instead of in the stomach itself.
Treatment. � Medical treatment for gastric and duodenal ulcers is generally surgical in character. The fundamental cause of the trouble �the wrong feeding habits of the individual�are left entirely unaffected by such treatment, whilst the already defective stomach tone is rendered yet more defective by the operation. And so the appearance of further ulcers, or even more serious stomach trouble of other kinds, is definitely encouraged rather than checked by such treatment. Merely to cut out the ulcer and leave it at that, can hardly be called curative treatment, can it ?
In some cases nowadays treatment by means of special diet is being tried in medical circles for the overcoming of gastric and duodenal ulcers ; but as the treatment also includes the regular taking of alkaline powders to neutralise the excessive acidity present, such treatment is hardly likely to lead to good results in the long run, however efficacious it may appear to be temporarily. What we have to do is to get rid of the underlying acidity altogether, not neutralise its effects by introducing alkaline chemicals into the stomach. Then again, these alkaline powders prevent the digestion of protein foods from taking place in the normal manner, because all protein food, such as eggs, meat, fish, etc., needs an acid medium for its digestion, and the alkaline powders make the stomach content predominantly alkaline ; and further, the continual taking of alkaline powders or alkaline medicines leaves a growing residue of chemical salts in the system, which has a most deleterious effect upon the kidneys after a time.
Again, the diet prescribed by medical advisers for patients with gastric or duodenal ulcer is the reverse of that which would be prescribed under natural treatment. This usually consists of eggs, milk, white bread, fish, milk puddings, etc., and leaves out entirely fruits, green vegetables, etc. The result of living on such " invalid's " fare�plus thrice-daily doses of alkaline powders�is that even if the ulcer is cured by such treatment (an extremely doubtful premise), the unfortunate patient invariably begins to find himself suffering from constipation and allied ailments because of the clogging nature of the dietary advised.
If the sufferer from gastric or duodenal ulcer cannot enter a Natural-Cure establishment for treatment or obtain the personal services of a Naturopath, he should carry on at home as follows :
Begin with a fast for from three to five days, as outlined in the Appendix, and then go on to the full milk diet outlined therein for a further two to four weeks, as found to be necessary. Rest as much as possible the while. Thereafter adopt the full weekly dietary as indicated, but substituting stewed fruit for fresh fruit, at first, and steamed vegetables or vegetable broth for salads, until able to deal all right with these raw foods. These can then be gradually introduced into the dietary as digestive powers improve. Further fasts and periods on the milk diet nuay be necessary, at intervals of two to three months, according to the severity of the case. Patients must use their discretion here, of course.
During the first week of the treatment the bowels should be cleansed nightly with a warm-water enema or gravity douche, and every other night thereafter as necessary; and where constipation is habitual, the rules for its eradication given earlier in this section should be put into operation forthwith. The daily dry friction and sitz-bath or sponge and the breathing and other exercises given in the Appendix should form a regular feature of the morning routine, and a hot Epsom-salts bath should be taken twice weekly for, say, two months or so, and once weekly thereafter.
Fresh air and outdoor exercise are two essentials to the treatment which must not be overlooked, but exercise should be graduated according to how the patient is feeling under the treatment. (As he feels himself getting better, so he can do more and more, etc.) No medicines or powders of any kind are to be taken. Correct diet is a most essential factor after, as well as during, treatment, and no white bread, sugar, white-flour products, refined cereals, boiled or mashed or fried potatoes, puddings or pies, or such-like food should be eaten in future ; no condiments, pickles, sauces, vinegar, etc. ; no strong tea or coffee ; no altoholic beverages. (No tinned or preserved foods either.) Meat and other flesh foods must be eaten very sparingly indeed, in accordance with the weekly diet-sheet. Sweets or confectionery of any kind are strictly taboo. Spinal manipulation, where procurable, is highly recommended in all cases of gastric and duodenal ulcer.
Gastritis (Acute). � Acute gastritis�or acute inflammation of the stomach�may arise from a number of causes, but indiscretions with regard to diet are always the main predisposing factors in its appearance. The habitual eating of too much food or of badly combined or badly prepared food, the drinking of excessive quantities of strong tea and coffee or alcoholic liquors, the habitual use of large quantities of condiments, sauces, etc., etc., are all to be counted as decisive factors making for the appearance of an attack of gastritis. The onset of the condition simply means that the stomach has had far more to put up with than it can bear, for some considerable time past, and has at last " thrown up the sponge " temporarily and " gone on strike " in protest against the foolish and indiscriminate manner in which it has been fed and treated.
Treatment. � When an attack of acute gastritis develops, there is pain and fullness in the stomach, with vomiting of partly digested food, mucus, etc. ; also headache, fever, and diarrhoea, followed by constipation. All this denotes a complete upheaval of the digestive system, and what is needed is obviously a fast. To attempt to treat the condition by means of medicines is just a waste of time where a real cure is concerned, for such treatment, even if it succeeds in putting the patient right for the time being, can never get rid of the underlying stomach weakness which was responsible for the setting up of the condition in the first place. And if the patient persists in his usual wanton jaded habits, then further attacks of gastritis are bound to occur from time to time, with every possibility of the condition becoming chronic.
The sufferer from acute gastritis should fast for as long as the acute symptoms of his trouble last, having just warm water to drink. The fast may have to proceed for from one to four days or more, according to the severity or otherwise of the condition. When things have begun to normalise themselves again, and the patient feels like eating, the all-fruit diet given in the Appendix can be adopted for a further two or three days, after which time the full weekly dietary also given therein can be gradually embarked upon.
From the time the treatment is begun, the bowels should be cleansed nightly for at least a week ; and where constipation is habitual, the rules for its eradication given in the present section should be put into operation as soon as practicable. The daily dry friction and sitz-bath or sponge and the breathing and other exercises given in the Appendix should form a regular feature of the morning routine, once convalescence has been reached ; and a hot Epsom-salts bath should be taken once or twice a week regularly from then on.
If further attacks of gastritis are to be prevented, the general dietetic advice given in the present book should be taken seriously to heart. No condiments, pickles, sauces, vinegar, strong tea or coffee, or alcoholic liquors should be taken in future ; also no sweets or confectionery of any kind should be eaten, and no pastries, rich cakes, etc. Lastly, and most particularly of all: No MEDICINES OF ANY KIND, OR PILLS, POWDERS, ETC., SHOULD EVER BE TAKEN ON ANY ACCOUNT. (See treatment for Chronic Indigestion, for notes on the effects of drugs upon the stomach and system generally.)
Gastritis (Chronic). � If repeated attacks of acute gastritis or indigestion are treated by medicines ,in the usual way, and the unwise feeding habits which are responsible for the setting up of the trouble are allowed to go unchecked (see remarks on this point in treatment for Acute Gastritis just previous), then chronic gastritis will appear in time. This is a condition in which the stomach lining is in a constant state of irritation and inflammation, and no amount of drug treatment is going to put it right, for two reasons : firstly, because the food and feeding habits of the sufferer are such as further to irritate and inflame the delicate stomach lining all the time ; and secondly, because the drugs used to " cure " the condition only succeed at best in masking and palliating symptoms, at the cost of further injuring and debilitating the stomach lining itself, because of the deleterious chemical substances contained in the medicines, powders, etc., used to " regulate " or " soothe " stomach activity.
Treatment. � It must be obvious to the sufferer from chronic gastritis who looks at the matter from an intelligent angle, that his trouble can only be overcome by first giving his digestive system a thorough cleansing, and then adopting a scheme of feeding which will adequately nourish his system, whilst at the same time allowing the stomach to recondition itself. Such a scheme of treatment will be found under the heading of Chronic Indigestion, farther on in the present section, and to that the sufferer from chronic gastritis is advised to turn for effective treatment for his case.
Haemorrhoids (Piles).� This is a condition in which the veins of the rectum become dilated (or varicose) as a result of constant straining at stool, following on constipation and the purgative habit. In some cases the veins burst and what is known as " bleeding piles " results. Treatment for haemorrhoids along orthodox medical lines consists in operation or injection treatment. In either case the underlying cause of the condition is not in the least affected by such treatment, so that further trouble of the same kind may be expected to occur again at any time, whilst habitual constipation becomes more stubborn.
Treatment. � For the effective treatment for haemorrhoids, or piles, the sufferer is referred to the treatment for Constipation earlier in the present section. As constipation and consequent straining at stool are the cause of the trouble, it must surely be obvious that only by rectifying this condition can piles be effectively overcome.
As regards local measures, the best thing is to inject the juice of a lemon in a pint of cold water into the rectum every day (and leave in for ten minutes) whilst the piles are irritating (not afterwards), and to have a cold sitz-bath every morning with the daily dry friction bath. In severer cases the hot and cold sitz-bath, outlined in the Appendix, can be taken nightly for the time being. No ointments or salves of any kind should be used, but if the piles need soothing at any time, cold-water compresses are the best thing for this.
Heartburn. � This is a condition associated with indigestion, and is due to excessive acidity of the stomach. (See Hyperacidity, below). For the effective treatment for heartburn see treatment for Chronic Indigestion farther on in the present section.
Hyperacidity. � This is a condition which arises in the stomach purely as a result of the habitual eating of excessive quantities of refined starchy and sugary foods, and has nothing whatever to do with the excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid by the glands of the stomach, as the medical profession believes. When such excessive quantities of starchy and sugary foods are eaten�as they always are �in conjunction with protein foods (meat, fish, eggs, cheese, etc.), the proteins are digested first, whilst the starchy food (the bread, porridge, pastry, puddings, etc., etc.) is left to ferment and acidify in the stomach before passing on into the intestines for digestion. It is out of this condition that hyperacidity arises, and it is made much worse by the presence in the stomach at the same time of sugar and sugary foods. (See remarks at the beginning of the treatment for Gastric Ulcer, page 288, for a full explanation of this.)
From the above it must be obvious that to try to cure hyperacidity by taking alkaline medicines or powders is a completely fallacious procedure. Such treatment can only palliate matters at best, because so long as the wrong feeding habits responsible for the setting up of the trouble go on, so will the excessive acidity continue to make itself felt. Besides, the habitual taking of such " remedies " as above mentioned seriously interferes with proper digestion (as will be explained in the treatment for Chronic Indigestion) ; and further, the chemical residue they leave behind in the system has a most deleterious effect upon the kidneys in time, to which organs such residue is carried eventually for final elimination.
Treatment. � For the effective treatment for hyperacidity (or acid stomach), which is a condition bound up intimately with indigestion, the sufferer is referred to the treatment for Chronic Indigestion to follow. There is a popular belief that the eating of fruit increases acidity of the stomach. This is quite wrong, as a few days on the exclusive fruit diet will soon show. However, the eating of unripe fruits or acid fruits with starches tends to increase acidity, if there is already a tendency in that direction.
Indigestion (Acute). � Acute indigestion arises from dietetic indiscretions pure and simple, although a run-down condition of the system, nerve strain, worry, etc., can all play their part in precipitating an attack. The eating of too much food, the hasty eating of food, the eating of badly prepared or ill-assorted combinations of food, can all bring on an attack of acute indigestion, especially if the stomach is below par. To attempt to deal with such a condition by taking medicines, etc., is not the way to clear up the trouble satisfactorily, but to render future attacks of indigestion more and more likely to occur. For such treatment pays no attention to the wrong feeding habits which have set up the trouble in the first place, neither does it give the stomach that thorough cleansing which alone can bring it back to normalcy of function and tone.
Treatment. � The only sane and effective treatment for acute indigestion is fasting. The sufferer should fast as long as the acute symptoms last�perhaps a day (or even two), perhaps less�and have nothing but hot water to drink during the time. When the acute symptoms have subsided, the all-fruit diet given in the Appendix can be adopted for a further day, after which the full weekly diet outlined therein can be embarked upon. The more closely the said diet is adhered to thereafter, the more certain is it that future attacks of indigestion will be prevented.
The warm-water enema should be used nightly during the fast, and for a day or two afterwards if necessary; and once the patient has fully recovered, the advice re future living and general welfare of the body given below in the treatment for Chronic Indigestion should be carefully followed. Where the attack is very mild, the missing of a meal or two and the sipping of hot water is all that is required.
Indigestion (Chronic). � Chronic indigestion is the commonest of all the " family ailments " of to-day (constipation perhaps excepted), as the patent-medicine advertisements one sees on every side more than testify. The cause of the trouble is habitual wrong feeding, and is aggravated, rather than helped, by the taking of medicinal drugs for the purpose�so-called�of " curing " the condition. When we think of the way people persistently overload their stomachs, day after day, year in and year out, with the most ill-assorted variety of foods, drinks, condiments, etc., it is surely not very surprising that the stomach becomes defective in function in time, as a result of such treatment. The stomach is a wonderful piece of natural mechanism, but it is only a piece of mechanism after all, so who can wonder that it should break down more and more completely, as the years advance, under the colossal strain imposed upon it as a result of modern feeding habits ?
Overfeeding and persistent wrong feeding apart, the most potent cause of indigestion is the habitual eating of starchy and protein foods together. If one is in really good health and leading an active outdoor life, the eating of protein and starchy foods together habitually may not cause any inconvenience to the digestive organs ; but most people are not in really good health, and do not lead active outdoor lives, and so the more they get on in years the more are they likely to incur digestive troubles as a direct result of such promiscuous mixing of foods. (Protein foods are meat, fish, eggs, cheese, etc. ; starchy foods are bread, potatoes, porridge, pastry, puddings, etc.)
As explained in the treatment for Gastric Ulcer, starchy foods are not digested in the stomach at all; their digestion is begun in the mouth and finished in the intestines. Proteins are the only foods digested in the stomach. Thus when starchy and protein foods are habitually eaten together, the starches have to wait in the stomach whilst the protein portion of the meal is dealt with, before being allowed to pass through into the intestines for final digestion. It is from this cause that fermentation and souring of food (with indigestion, eructation of gas, etc.) occurs in the stomach, a condition made worse by the presence of sugar and sugary foods. The eating of acid fruits and starchy foods together also predisposes towards fermentation and indigestion.
The habit of eating and drinking together is another of the causes of indigestion, as when liquids are drunk at the same time as food is eaten it means that the digestive juices will be diluted in strength and their potency diminished accordingly. Then another big factor in the setting up of indigestion is the eating of condiments, pickles, sauces, etc., with meals. Such articles of diet have a most deleterious effect upon the delicate stomach lining, especially pepper, vinegar, and highly spiced and " piquant" flavourings. The free use of table-salt also predisposes towards stomach trouble in after-life, because mineral salt is not a commodity the body can deal with properly (it is vegetable salts from proper natural food that is required), and mineral salt taken to excess becomes a hindrance to stomach functioning in time.
Another factor responsible for much digestive trouble is eating between meals, as also is the eating of meals at too frequent intervals. Food requires at least five hours to be completely emptied from the stomach, so that the eating of too frequent meals, or " snacks " between meals, means that the stomach will be called upon to start the digestion process all over again whilst there is still undigested or partly digested food present in it.
We can see therefore that, quite apart from the eating of the wrong kind of food as measured by Natural-Cure standards, it is essentially the general feeding habits of the people of modern civilisation which bring in their train the almost certain liability to indigestion which appears as the individual grows up. (Children seem able to deal with all sorts of things in the food line which grown-ups cannot; but they pay the penalty for such food follies sure enough in later life.) Now, with all this in mind, when we turn to the medical treatment for indigestion and digestive disturbances generally, what do we find ? We find that, with perhaps one rare exception here and there, the vast majority of medical men confine themselves solely to trying to get rid of the superficial symptoms and effects of the trouble by means of medicines, powders, etc., without in the least attempting to rectify the crass feeding habits which are in every case the real cause of the trouble.
How can such treatment be called curative, on the face of it ? It never is ! That is why' the medical profession is unable to rid the world of digestive troubles, which troubles are the easiest to rectify, if only the right methods of procedure are adopted for their cure.
Not only does drug treatment fail to cure indigestion and allied ailments, it succeeds in making these troubles worse in time ! Medical men think that by giving medicines or powders to their patients they can neutralise the excessive acidity set up in the stomach through wrong feeding, or get rid of pain or " wind " or stimulate a sluggish stomach into activity, etc. But such measures are never curative in the real sense, because they never remove causes ; and they only succeed in temporarily removing the effects of the trouble, if at all, at the cost of definitely impairing the health of the stomach, and so making permanent the very condition they were employed to " cure," as we shall now see.
For instance, when bicarbonate of soda is habitually taken to relieve the effects of gas in the stomach or to reduce excessive acidity, there is a continual residue of chemical matter left behind in the stomach which definitely impairs stomach action and affects the stomach lining; further, this chemical residue is carried eventually to the kidneys by the blood-stream, to be finally eliminated from the system. But its presence in the kidneys is a source of constant irritation to these delicate organs, and many cases of kidney disease can be definitely traced, in great part, to the excessive use of bicarbonate of soda or other alkaline powders or drugs for the so-called " curing" of digestive troubles. The same remarks apply to the bismuth medicines and other medicines�patent or otherwise�taken for indigestion.
Another .most important fact about the action of drugs in the treatment of indigestion is this : By correcting the excessive acidity which is the main feature of indigestion and allied troubles, the medicines used turn the stomach-content preponderantly alkaline. Now, for protein foods to be digested the stomach must be acid in reaction (as already pointed out) ; thus when alkaline medicines are taken after meals it means that the protein portion of the meal�the meat, fish, eggs, cheese, etc.�will not be properly digested, but will pass through into the intestines either undigested or partly digested, and so will not be adequately utilised by the system. Not only does this mean that such food will be incapable of proper assimilation, but it means that the function of the intestines will be definitely disturbed, and so constipation will become a more and more noticeable factor in the case.
Such, then, is the " value " of drugs in the treatment of indigestion and other stomach ailments ! No wonder indigestion is incurable by orthodox medical methods of treatment ! And no wonder patent-medicine vendors continue to thrive and wax fat on the victims of such medical treatment, who turn to them in despair for that cure of their ills which Medical Science, with all its boasted attributes, cannot give them !
Treatment. � As already pointed out, the only effective treatment for chronic indigestion, gastritis, flatulence, hyperacidity, etc., is, firstly, a thorough cleansing of the digestive tract; and secondly, the adoption of a sensible dietary and common-sense scheme of future feeding and living. In no other way can these troubles be permanently cured. The sufferer from stomach troubles of the kind here mentioned should take his case in hand along the following lines (he will be more than satisfied with the results obtained if he does so).
From four to seven or ten days on the all-fruit diet, outlined in the Appendix, is the best way to begin the treatment, the period on all-fruit being graduated to suit the needs of the case. (Really serious and long-standing cases should begin with a short fast for from three to five days, followed by ten to fourteen days on the restricted diet given in the Appendix.) Then the full weekly dietary�also given in the Appendix�can be begun, in either case, and adhered to strictly thereafter. Further short periods on all-fruit at monthly intervals� say of two or three days�or a further short fast and period or two on the restricted diet at two- or three-monthly intervals, may be required in certain cases, according to the progress being made.
Where flatulence is habitual and severe, it would be wise to precede the all-fruit diet, where adopted, by a day, or even two, on water only, having a glass of hot water every two hours during the day.
For the first few days of the treatment the bowels should be cleansed nightly with the warm-water enema or gravity douche, and every other night thereafter as necessary ; and where constipation is habitual, the rules for its eradication given earlier in the present section should be put into operation forthwith. The daily dry friction and sponge or sitz-bath and the breathing and other exercises given in the Appendix should form a regular feature of the treatment ; and a hot Epsom-salts bath should be taken every week. Fresh air and outdoor exercise are essential, and efforts should be made to indulge in a fairly long and brisk walk every day.
Not only is future careful attention to diet necessary, along the lines consistently laid down in the present book but the sufferer from indigestion must bear in mind the following rules re eating consistently :
(1) Never eat and drink together. Drinking should be done half an hour before or three hours after a meal.
(2) Never hurry through a meal, and masticate your food as thoroughly as possible. Never eat " mushy " foods, such as porridge, milk puddings, etc., which cannot be so masticated ; eat your food as crisp and dry as possible.
(3) Never eat to repletion. Always leave the table feeling that you could eat more.
(4) Never eat between meals, and allow five hours to elapse between one meal and the next. (Meals at, say, 8 a.m., i p.m., and 6 p.m. would be best.)
(5) Never sit down to a meal feeling worried, over-excited, overtired, in a temper, etc.
(6) Never use condiments, sauces, seasonings, etc., with your food. Never drink strong tea or coffee or alcoholic beverages.
(7) Always come to a meal really ready for it. If appetite is lacking, do not try to " coax " it by means of dainty tit-bits, relishes, etc. Miss a meal, or two even, or fast a day if necessary, until real appetite returns.
(8) Eat only genuine natural foods. Never eat tinned, preserved, potted, or refined foods. (This latter item includes such articles of diet as white bread, white-flour products, white sugar, jams, confectionery, etc.) Never boil vegetables, always steam them. Never peel and boil vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, etc., keep the peel on and either bake or steam them. (In this way you preserve the invaluable mineral salts these vegetables contain, and which ordinary cooking methods lose.)
(9) Never eat fried or greasy .roods. Never eat bread or other cereals with acid fruits ; never eat fruit tarts, fruit pies, etc. Never eat unripe fruit.
(10) Keep protein and starchy food apart as far as possible. Such foods can be eaten together occasionally�as detailed in the diet-sheet given .in the Appendix�but not as a general rule.
(11) Take no medicines, powders, or drugs of any kind irom now on.
(12) If affected by flatulence at all seriously, sip some hot water slowly, and, if necessary, miss a meal or even two.
If the sufferer from chronic indigestion and allied ailments will carry on as herein directed, his trouble will soon be on the way to complete disappearance ; not only so, his whole general health will be greatly enhanced by the treatment, and many useful years added to his life. Such are the benefits of Natural Healing !
Intestinal Catarrh. � See Colitis
Loss of Appetite. � Loss of appetite is a symptom of deranged digestion, and instead of trying to cajole back his appetite by means of tasty dishes, appetising tit-bits, etc., or by taking doses of stomach tonics, " pick-me-ups," etc., the sufferer from the condition should go without food altogether until normal appetite returns. It may mean missing a meal, or two meals, or even three, or fasting for a day or so ; but that is the only way to ensure a real appetite for food in future. In this overfed world of ours most people could do with going without a meal several days a week at least�if not every day ; and some could do well with a fast-day every week ! The only sound dictum in the matter is : Never eat unless hungry. If not hungry for a meal, then go without it.
Ptomaine Poisoning.� This is a condition due to the eating of putrefactive food, or food which has putrefied upon entering the stomach. Treatment should be the same as for Acute Gastritis, only in this case the initial fasting period will have to be longer. See also the self help section in the site library for First Aid Treatment.
Typhoid. � See section on Fevers.
