Health Topics

Health Topics BY DR. SAMUEL J. RUSSELL Nor love, nor honor, wealth nor power, Can give the heart a cheerful hour When Health is gone. Be timely, wise, With Health, all taste of pleasure flies.

There are three elements of success, sound mind, sound morals, sound body. A sound body may be an inheritance, or it may be acquired by obedience to certain rules of health. One is never too old to form new habits. One can form the habit of health which is ;

much better than the mere possession of it. Those who inherit it seldom appreciate it. A person should be alert for the new idea or the newapplication of the old one, in matters of health as in everything else. ^j*. •' ^^^ Ifwe do not take the time to keep ^^A*. jfl ^^^ well, we may have to take time to be ifll R sick, or at least be less efficient at our M W/rM work. Disease is not due to the disW aM pleasure of God ; but is the result of the natural law of sowing and reaping. Dr. Samuel J. Russell SkkneSS in most Cases is the COnsequence, directly or indirectly, of the violation of nature's laws, and health when once lost is hard to regain. We cannot lay down any fixed rule of health, as no one attitude of mind spells health for all. All that I will attempt to do is to point out a few facts.

Health is that condition when the body can be least thought of. The modern idea is prevention. We should treat our diseases before we get them. We should develop a store of vital resistance and acquire a stock of vital energy that will combat the onslaught of the disease microbe. Germs are not attracted to healthy people. Disease is contagious to a weakened organism only. I might relate here the case of my assistant. He had spent

HEALTH TOPICS 375 the greater part of his life at school and hard study, and although his body was in a weakened and run-down condition, was determined to enter Cook county hospital as interne. I advised strongly against it, telling him that he would do better if he would go into country practice for a while and give his body time to become strong in the country air and sunlight, and then return to Cook county later. But he was ambitious, and disregarded my advice, entering the hospital, and after being there a few months, contracted tuberculosis and was compelled to go to the country a diseased man, when, if he had yielded to advice, he could have prevented what came to him. Let us consider just a few rules of health. Proper breathing, sunlight, diet, bathing, rest, relaxation, simplicity, self-control, optimism, happy disposition, and a clear conscience. If we would have well developed lungs (which are the corner stones of good health), we must breathe properly, for oxygen must enter the lungs in great quantity if we would have pure blood ; and we must exercise if we would have good circulation of that blood, which carries the food for tissue construction.

Exercise so vigorously that the heart increases its beat. The glow of bodily warmth is felt, the eye brightens and the face flushes. Torpid circulation is at the bottom of every known disease. It has been said that there is but one disease, congestion,

and there is but one cure, free circulation. This is true in the early stages, before actual degeneration of tissue has taken place. Shallow breathers are usually downcast and despondent. Systematic deep breathers seldom suffer much from melancholia or despondency. Deep breathers are usually deep thinkers. When you are tired, put down your book, or work, stand before an open window, slowly fill the lungs twenty-five times, when again taking up your book vou will find that you have acquired a new stock of energy. The powers of attention have been awakened. Deep breathing aids digestion, promotes the action of the liver, helps the stomach in emptying itself, and is also a great aid to the normal action of the bowels. Learn to sit properly. Sit on the end of the spine, and not on a point four inches above it. The majority of men you meet carry themselves in a careless manner, walk with their chests flat and heads forward, instead of the head erect and the chest thrown out.

376 IMPROVEMENT ERA Those who half breathe, half live. Most people forget that they spend one-third of their lives in the bedroom. Sleep is nature's great restorer, and there should be regular periods for rest and sound sleep. Be sure that there is not only fresh air, but a circulation of air in the bedroom, also that plenty of sunshineenters the room during the day, as sunshine is almost instantaneously fatal to disease germs. The same ray of sunlight which is essential for the health of the human body is fatal to the tuberculosis germ, the cause of the white plague. How urgent it is that offices and the abodes of men should be so arranged as to give free access to the glorious sunlight. Cultivate the habit of regular water-drinking. With regard to eating, do you like it, and does it like you ? If these two agree, then it is all right. It is not so much what we eat. but lw:^ we eat it. Soft, sloppy foods, as soups, mushes, cereals, which and have absorbed all tko moisture they are capable of absorbing before being eaten, are a menace rather than a help to the stomach. I strongly advocate dry foods, and such materials taken into the stomach as will call forth work on the part of that organ, thereby giving its glands and muscular coats exercise, which is absolutely essential to the life and development of all organs and functions of the body. The pernicious habit of mush and milk for breakfast should be discontinued, and in its place such good substantial foods as meat and vegetables, bread and butter, etc., and other nitrogenous products that produce energy when taken into the stomach. If the stomach pampered with the use of easily-digested is foods, such as milk, beef tea, and peptonized foods, the organ soon becomes weak and flabby, and is not capable of digesting substantial food. We would be a weak race physically if we were to eat only easily digested foods. Students should not study immediately after meals, as they often suffer from indigestion by so doing.

No one but a physician can know how much regular, healthful bathing is neglected by the people. Comparatively few comprehend the disease-dangers that follow the neglect of proper bathing. The neglect of regular bathing produces a debilitated condition of the skin, and weakens the body, which renders the individual a constant victim of colds, etc. There should be vig-

HEALTH TOPICS 377 orous frictional bathing, lor by that only we can clean away the clogging of the pores of the body. The practice of using public towels is responsible for the spread of many diseases, it should be one of the fixed habits of life to wash the hands before eating. 1 had a clinical case, of a strong, healthy-looking conductor, who had contracted that dread disease, tuberculosis, by the constant habit of eating his lunch without having washed his hands. Dirty finger nails harbor the germs of pus infection. Don't take drugs for sleeplessness ; take a bath. Cold baths in the morning raise the level of our mental activity, wake us up, and increase our supply of energy.

Do not make the mistake of wearing underclothes or other garments at night, which have been worn during the day, as undergarments worn during the day are saturated with impurities from the body, and these impurities are reabsorbed into the system, and cause auto-intoxication. Great care should be taken to arrange the garments worn during the day so that at night they may be thoroughly aired. Light night garments should be the property of every one, especially when traveling. These garments can be made of pongee silk, or other light material, which can be easily carried in a small hand bag. Underwear and outer garments should be changed according to the season and temperature from day to day. Much energy is squandered by wearing too heavy clothing. The clothing should be made of light material, sufficiently warm to keep the body at its normal temperature. While it is important not to overclothe the body while indoors, it is equally important not to underclothe it when going out into the cold. There is one unpardonable sin in dress, and that is uncleanliness. A dirty collar and unclean finger nails have been known to turn the tide of success back toward failure. Even though your clothing be old and well worn, you can be neat by keeping it well brushed, free from spots and specks. Your handkerchief should be always as clean as your hands, and they as clean as soap and water can keep them. A man must study his personal appearance if he would climb the ladder of success, as it takes more than ability, enthusiasm, or self-faith to make life a success. These things are essential, but it takes personal appearance and tact t<> impress our characters

378 IMPROVEMENT ERA upon the minds of others. If we would go to the front we must not disregard any one of these little things. A man's value to society depends largely upon his discovering and developing his special talent. The act of thinking has always been connected with some activity of the body. Thought precedes all action; as, for instance, a man thinks of running, the nerve center in the brain sends more blood to the legs, therefore the muscles of the legs get an increased supply of it. A man has an uneasy sensation in the locality of his heart, and thinks he has heart disease, when in reality it is nothing more than a slight attack of indigestion, as the stomach dilated, pressing against the heart, sometimes produces the symptoms of trouble in that organ. Upon reading the advertisements in the newspapers he finds such symptoms enumerated as a slight constriction about the chest, slight pain upon deep breathing, palpitation of the heart upon vigorous evercise, and he at once decides that he has heart trouble. He begins to worry about it, and in the end his thinking really affects his condition. The way to keep well is in right thinking about one's self. The secret of deliverance from worry is self-control. Beware of health manuals, as no man can stand the constant contemplation of himself and his own ailments. Unhealthy organs are of less importance than an unhealthy mind. A diseased heart or lung may have less effect upon the health of the body than a morbid mind. Don't turn your thoughts inward, but outward. When there is real pain, it is nature crying for assistance, and itshould receive attention, from one who knows, but don't take drugs unless prescribed by a competent physician. Keep your mind peaceful and your conscience clear. All phases of fear, anxiety, worry, and despondency, influence the physical health. Briefly summed up, vital resistance is secured by living a simple and obedient life. Study diligently to find God's will concerning you, and then faithfully live up to your light. Physical strength of character, alike with moral, is formed by overcoming obstacles, not by avoiding them. Let us not forget the great responsibility that attaches to us in the wonderful fact of the possession of life and our duty in directing our lives, so that they may be used for the greatest glory of God, and the greatest good of man. Chicago, III.