Chapter IV: Part 4

A combination of commissions and omissions generally conspire to produce the obese body. They may be mentioned in the order of their importance:

1 Overingestion of fat-producing foods

2 Omission of the proper amount of motion or exercise

3 Imperfect oxidation (breathing)

4 The overconsumption of fluids

[Sidenote: Obesity caused by overeating]

In every case of obesity, one or more of these causes are present. If one is blessed with good digestion and good assimilation, or, in other words, if all the nutriment taken into the body is absorbed into the tissues, then the quantity must be regulated by one's work or labor, otherwise any excess of fat-producing food is stored up by provident Nature, contemplating future use; and if it is not used, by actual work, the result is a gradual accumulation of fatty tissue. Again, if a quantity of food commensurate only with the requirements of mental labor be consumed, and only ordinary body-activity indulged in, there is likely to be a gradual decrease in weight, because a considerable percentage of energy is consumed by the mere carrying on of the vital processes.

[Sidenote: Obesity caused by drinking malted liquors]

The worst form of obesity, however, is that caused by overconsumption of fermented wines or malted liquors. This form of enlarged tissue contributes no strength whatever to its own support. It is as much of a dead weight as a hod of mortar, and much more useless; in fact, all forms of obesity are not only useless weight, but dangerous to life. The obese body is much more liable to contagious and infectious dis-eases, and when once affected, less able to defend itself than the normal body.

OBESITY--THE REMEDY

The control of body-weight rests upon three distinct and separate laws, the first and most important of which is nutrition, the second exercise, and the third oxidation.

[Sidenote: The storing of fat regulated by labor or activity]

While at the outset body-weight may be controlled by increasing the amount of activity sufficiently to use the surplus which Nature is storing away, if however, the activity ceases and the surplus is not used, then the storing process becomes chronic, and radical remedies both in regard to dietetics and activity must be applied in order to bring the body back to normal.

[Sidenote: Amount of fat required daily in different climates]

A man of normal weight, say 150 pounds, doing ordinary work in a tropical country, would not need to consume more than an ounce of fat each twenty-four hours, while the same man in a northern climate, where the thermometer ranges from zero to 20 below, could use up, with similar labor, from three to four ounces of pure fat daily. Fats, however, do not produce fat in the human body unless taken largely in excess of its needs. Their primary purpose is to keep up the temperature of the body.

[Sidenote: Dietetic suggestions for chronic obesity]

Where the weight is only from ten to fifteen pounds above normal, a substantial reduction can be made by merely balancing the diet, but where the accumulation of adipose tissue has become chronic, and the body has taken on from twenty to fifty pounds, or more, above normal, then a diet composed largely of non-acid fruits and fresh vegetables should be adopted for a period of from twenty to thirty days.

[Sidenote: Foods that produce fat]

Carbohydrates, that is to say starch and sugar, are the principal fat-making nutrients, and all people inclined to take on abnormal weight, as a rule, are very fond of, and eat an excess of starchy foods. A great amount of the casein in milk and the phosphorus in eggs are converted into fat, especially if a quantity be taken in excess of the amount used in effort or work. The fat-producing staple foods are:

All cereal products
All legumes
Bread
Eggs
Milk
Potatoes

In order, therefore, to remove the causes of obesity, one must begin with the diet.

[Sidenote: Foods that reduce fat]

Eliminate meat and animal fat; ascertain as nearly as possible the amount of carbohydrates necessary for each day and take none in excess of this quantity. This will stop the accumulation of fatty tissue. If the body is obese, and a reduction of weight is desired, the diet should consist of nuts, fruits, salads, fresh vegetables, and a very limited quantity of eggs, omitting starchy foods entirely. After a week or two of this diet, discontinue the use of eggs, reducing the diet entirely to nuts, fruits, fresh vegetables and salads, which in nearly every case will bring a very substantial reduction in weight, even if the patient takes but little exercise and fresh air. If, however, he can be induced to adopt the above diet, and at the same time take two hours' moderate exercise, either in gymnastics or useful labor, with a reasonable amount of exposure to fresh air, the reduction in weight will be greater, and the muscular tissue and vitality will increase.

Inasmuch as fat contributes no item of strength to its own support, if the patient will take a reasonable amount of exercise and fresh air, muscular tissue will increase in the same ratio that fatty tissue decreases.

[Sidenote: How menus for obesity may be varied]

The menus for obesity may be varied according to the fruits and vegetables at one's command. Fish is the one article among animal food that has much to recommend it, insomuch that it contains an excellent form of proteid and phosphorus. If the taste of the patient should rebel against natural foods, fish would supply these elements better than any form of flesh.

The following articles should compose the general diet for the obese under ordinary conditions:

Buttermilk
Eggs or fish--limited quantity
Fruits
Green salads
Nuts
{ Such as--
{
{ Asparagus
{ Beans
{ Beets
{ Carrots
Fresh vegetables { Celery
{ Parsnips
{ Peas
{ Pumpkins
{ Spinach
{ Squash
{ Turnips

The ordinary obese person should adopt either of the following menus, varying them according to vegetables in season:

MENU I MENU II

BREAKFAST

An orange, or grapes Choose two of the following:
One or two eggs, whipped Berries, grapes,
peaches, plums, pears,
apples, melons, soaked
evaporated apricots,
peaches, or prunes

LUNCHEON

Choice of two fresh vegetables, One fresh vegetable
cooked A small portion of fish
A baked potato A baked potato
One very ripe banana, with two
tablespoonfuls of nuts

DINNER

A salad of lettuce or romaine Spanish onions
Peas, beans, beets, carrots, or An egg, or a small portion
turnips of fish
Two tablespoonfuls of nuts Tablespoonful of nuts
One egg One or two vegetables
A green salad

[Sidenote: Foods should be selected according to vocation]

If the patient is doing manual labor, the proteid foods, such as milk, cheese, nuts, fish and eggs should be increased according to the work. If, however, the labor is sedative, such as followed by the average business man, the amounts herein prescribed are sufficient. The breakfast should be taken an hour after rising, and the luncheon early, not later than 12 noon, and the dinner not later than 6 p.m.

The symptoms during the first two or three days will be that of weakness and perhaps hunger, leaving the impression of under-nourishment. This will disappear after the third or fourth day, and strength will not only return to normal, but the body will feel more energetic than before, and there will be a marked increase in the powers of endurance. If the patient can be induced to "fight it out" for a week on these lines, favorable symptoms will develop so fast that the practitioner will be aided in his work by the mental conviction of the patient, and success will be assured.

In cases of Obesity:

OMIT EAT

Bread products Eggs--limited quantity
Cereals Fish or Lobster
Dried beans Fresh vegetables
Flesh food Fruit
Milk Melons
Sweets Nuts
Succulent vegetables
Wheat bran
Whole wheat thoroughly cooked (sparingly)

Do not drink at meals.

NEURASTHENIA

That disorder of the nerves known as neurasthenia is expressed in general anemia, or a breaking down of the nervous vitality. This does not indicate, however, that neurasthenia is wholly a dis-ease of the nerves; it merely means that through the nerves the symptoms are given to the brain.

[Sidenote: Neurasthenia a last or final warning]

Neurasthenia is a signal or warning given by the united voice of all the functions of digestion, secretion, and excretion. Therefore, this disorder does not appear until the body has given fair warning in many other ways, and if proper heed had been given the preceding signals, the nerves would have performed their functions without an outcry.

Every so-called dis-ease of the human body, especially of the nervous system, is in reality the voice of Nature telling us of our mistakes, and giving us the opportunity to correct them. Dis-ease, therefore, is not an enemy to the race, but a friend. It is an effort, as it were, in our behalf, of provident Nature to prevent race extinction.

Nearly every seeming misfortune with which we are afflicted can be turned to our benefit. We never take a step upward until we are mentally prepared for it; we never become mentally prepared until we have passed through a certain amount and kind of experience.

[Sidenote: Education defined]

Education reduced to its last analysis is merely the accumulation and co-ordination of useful knowledge; useful knowledge is accumulated only by and through the art of comparison. The more experience we have, the more comparisons we can make.

[Sidenote: Ability to make comparisons, measures, ability to enjoy]

Country-raised people control the great industries of the city and lead in the nation's great work because they never become _blase_. They have always their homely and primitive child life to draw upon for comparisons. Every good thing, every invention, every step forward and upward, every advancement is appreciated and realized exactly according to their ability to compare these things with their opposites.

If the patient should be suffering from mental disturbances called worry, he should be reminded that he is merely a floating mote in the abyss of space, and if the matter composing his form should change from organic to inorganic, from active to inactive; in other words, if he should die, the great planets would move on in their majestic courses and the cosmic scheme would in nowise be interfered with.

NEURASTHENIA--THE CAUSE

Neurasthenia is caused by a violation of the laws of nutrition, such as overeating, taking intoxicants, tea, coffee, tobacco, stimulating and sedative drugs; an oversupply of certain elements of nourishment and an undersupply of others; failure to eliminate waste; a lack of activity or motion, and improper oxidation. These causes removed, nervousness and all neurasthenic tendencies disappear, and Nature asserts herself and produces physical normality.

NEURASTHENIA--THE SYMPTOMS

Neurasthenic symptoms are excitability, irritability, mental depression, insomnia, fatigue, exhaustion, emaciation and sometimes hysteria, which very often result in other local disorders, such as extreme constipation or chronic hyperchlorhydria, with a tendency toward weakened sexuality.

NEURASTHENIA--THE REMEDY

In medical literature there are hundreds of alleged remedies for nervous disorders, yet not one of them attempts to ascertain the causes and to suggest their removal. Drugs only paralyze and stupify the delicate, sensitive nerve fibers that are conveying the intelligence to the brain that something is wrong, and the average man mistakes this for a remedy or a cure.

[Sidenote: Unbalanced diet, a primary cause]

In the opinion of the writer, neurasthenia would be almost impossible if the body were thoroughly nourished, and the daily bill of fare kept level, or, as we would say in our cash system, "balanced." But when one labors under heavy mental strains, especially that character of burden called worry, and is not properly fed and nourished, the expenditure of force on one side and the lack of supplying it on the other, are very likely to result in an abnormal physical condition called neurasthenia. It is safe to say that all cases of neurasthenia can be traced to improper nourishment on the one hand and abnormal mental tension on the other.

[Sidenote: Diet more important than rest]

The rest cure has been employed quite successfully for these conditions for many years, and if the proper diet, or what might be called a counteractive or remedial diet, were employed in all the rest cure establishments, they undoubtedly would meet with greater success, but unfortunately some of the best institutions in the country--those best equipped to take care of neurasthenic patients--do not attach any great importance to diet. This comes, no doubt, from the universal lack of information concerning the natural laws governing Food Chemistry, and their particular application to animal life.

[Sidenote: Suggestions for the neurasthenic]

Neurasthenic patients should first be given rest, which means complete or total diversion from business cares, worry, financial or social responsibility. They should be induced, if possible, to become interested in some special eleemosynary work; some "hobby" that has for its purpose the uplifting of people. The best remedy for the weary or discouraged mind, or the neurasthenic body, is the praise and esteem of people.

The suggestions hitherto given for all kindred disorders will apply in most cases of neurasthenia. (See also "Nervousness--Its Cause and Cure," Vol. V, p. 1211.) The patient should be advised to spend at least from three to four hours a day in the open air and sunshine, when the weather will permit, in some quiet way, walking, driving, or in moderate exercise.

Most important of all is the diet. It should be balanced according to age, labor, and temperature of the atmosphere, and should consist of--

Such foods as will cause normal action of the bowels
Green corn
Nuts
Rich fresh milk
Yolks of eggs
Young beans, peas, or any legume before it hardens

Immature starch composes the best form of carbohydrate food, which is exceedingly necessary in most cases of neurasthenia, unless the patient be obese, in which event it should be reduced to meet only the requirements of the body, and nitrogenous foods should predominate.

A passive form of exercise is very highly recommended, such as all forms of Swedish or mechanical electrical massage. In connection with this the body should be given an olive-oil rub at least twice a week.

In cases of Neurasthenia:

OMIT EAT

Confections All legumes
Desserts Cheese
Fatty foods Eggs (yolk)
Hot drinks Fish--very tender
Fresh milk Fresh vegetables
Pastries Green corn
Rich gravies Nuts
Red meat Potatoes
Stimulants
Tea and coffee
White flour products

MALNUTRITION

CAUSE AND REMEDY

Malnutrition is caused mainly by errors in eating, sedentary habits, and lack of fresh air. The remedy, therefore, suggests itself. Level or balance the diet according to the patient's requirements, and advise from two to three hours' vigorous exercise every day, and deep breathing in the open air.

All the causes as well as the cure of malnutrition were discussed under the subject of emaciation. (See "Emaciation," p. 477.)

LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA

THE CAUSE

The principal cause of locomotor ataxia is syphilis, the treatment of which has not been sufficiently thorough. So, after lying latent--sometimes for as long a period as twenty years--the disease breaks out again, the germs (which are called _spirochaeta pallida_) assume new virulence, and attack the nervous system--usually the posterior column of the spinal cord.

Not infrequently, the optic nerve is also affected, developing what is known as gray atrophy of the nerves. This causes a gradual loss of vision, and finally, relative blindness.

Locomotor ataxia may occasionally be brought on by long-continued exposures to wet and cold, injuries to the spinal column, and by excesses of various kinds. But its chief origin is in syphilis--indeed, most European authorities claim that this is its only origin.

LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA--THE SYMPTOMS

Among the earliest symptoms of ataxia are the so-called lightning or lancinating pains--which come on in paroxyms of varying duration--lasting for hours, or even days at a time. These pains may be burning, tearing, cutting or boring in their nature--and usually affect only the upper half of the body.

There is generally, also, a sense of constriction in the throat--as of a choking by the clutch of a hand--and sometimes regurgitation of food, intense pains around the heart or in the epigastrium--with flatulence, eructations, and hiccough.

A very common symptom is the so-called "girdle," a sensation as though a rope or band were tightly drawn around the body at the waist. One of the earliest noticeable symptoms is the want of co-ordination--ataxia. This is most pronounced in the lower extremities, and is responsible for the unsteadiness of ataxics in walking or standing.

The gait in ataxia is staggering--resembling somewhat the inco-ordination of a man under the influence of alcohol, and there is an exaggerated lifting of the feet and legs with each step. The normal "knee-jerk" reflex--that quick jerk of the foot and lower leg that follows a sharp blow struck below the knee when the leg is held free--is generally abolished. In fact, this failure of the reflexes is usually one of the earliest diagnostic symptoms.

Later in the disease the sphincters of the bladder and the anus lose their power to contract, and there is incontinence of both urine and feces.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET

As with any other disease in which there are serious trophic changes, and the generation within the system of toxic products from food decay, it is absolutely indispensable in ataxia to observe the utmost care in the selection of the diet. The food should be light, but nutritious--nourishing and strengthening the system, without, at the same time, putting too great a tax upon the organs of digestion and assimilation.

Particular care should be taken to insure daily movements of the bowels, and to see that the kidneys are flushed with a plentiful supply of water drunk each day.

LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA--THE REMEDY

The generally accepted opinion among medical men is that locomotor ataxia is an incurable disease, and that there is little or nothing that any form of treatment can accomplish that will tend to restore function--or even to arrest the course of the disease, and postpone its fatal termination.

With this opinion I beg leave to differ. I am convinced that, by the proper regulation of the diet, limiting the system only to that which it requires for its complete nourishment--giving ample quantities of those foods that are rich in lecithin (or nerve-fat) and phosphorus--such as eggs, milk, whole wheat bread, fish, roe, etc.--much may be done to arrest the progress of the disease.

This, in combination with the proper kind of exercise--particularly those forms of which the "Fraenkel Movement System" is an example,--will do a wonderful amount of good in re-educating such groups of nerves in the spinal column as have not yet suffered degenerative changes.

The following diet is a mere suggestion, subject to change in order to meet the conditions of temperature, age, and activity.

Immediately on rising, the patient should take a few spoonfuls of strained orange juice and drink a cup of hot water. He should also devote a few minutes to deep breathing, and such moderate exercises as he is able to endure.

BREAKFAST

The whites of four eggs and the yolks of two (If digestion is
good, the whites of six eggs may be taken--one yolk to each two
whites)

A glass of milk

A tablespoonful of nuts

One very ripe banana with cream

Three or four dates

LUNCHEON

Three or four eggs whipped eight minutes; to each egg add one
teaspoonful of lemon juice, and a heaping teaspoonful of sugar;
whip this mixture into a quart of milk; drink slowly

DINNER

Smelts, or any small fish

A Spanish onion, baked in casserole dish

Corn bread

Buttermilk or skimmed milk

One fresh vegetable, cooked plain

In addition to this diet, there should be a regular daily schedule of exercise and deep breathing, which the patient should be required to carry out with rigid precision and regularity.

[Sidenote: Value of exercise and massage]

In nearly all cases of locomotor ataxia the body is unable to cast off the generated poisons, or used-up tissue, the result being that the new building material (food) taken in is not appropriated. This condition of atrophy must be overcome by exercise, massage, fomentation (wrapping the patient in a hot, wet blanket), or by anything that will induce excessive superficial circulation.

If one afflicted with locomotor ataxia can be induced to arise from his lethargy and exert himself, following the methods herein suggested, a gradual increase in strength is very likely to be experienced inside of two or three months, and sometimes a complete arrest of the process may be expected in time.

The writer had a patient, a retired ship captain, who came under his treatment after suffering for twelve years with locomotor ataxia, and after twelve months declared himself cured. The only evidence remaining of his former condition at this writing is shown when he attempts to turn around suddenly, and his control of the lumbar and motor muscles are undergoing such improvement that even this symptom, it seems, will finally disappear.

In cases of Locomotor Ataxia:

OMIT EAT

Drugs of every character Carbohydrates--limited quantity
Intoxicants Corn hominy
Sex indulgence Dates, figs, honey
Stimulants and narcotics
{Beans
{Buckwheat
Foods {Cheese
rich in {Eggs
proteids {Fresh corn
and {Fish
albuminoids {Milk
such as {Nuts
{Peas
{Potatoes
{Whole wheat
Rice
Rye

COLDS, CATARRH, HAY FEVER, ASTHMA, INFLUENZA

[Sidenote: Overeating a common cause of capillary congestion]

These disorders are grouped under a general heading because there are a few fundamental laws that affect them all alike. Capillary congestion is a common cause in all these disorders, and anything that will produce this condition will cause, or at least augment catarrh, hay fever, asthma, influenza, and colds. As overeating is the primary cause of congestion throughout the capillary system, it, rather than exposure, is the most common cause of all these disorders. The treatment that will remove or prevent this form of congestion will, therefore, remove a primary cause, when such remedial measures may be employed as each case demands.

COLDS--THE CAUSE

That condition commonly known as a cold is merely a congestion of effete matter and toxic substances in the body-cells, coming from two causes, and, so far as my experience has been able to guide me, from two causes only, namely:

1 Overeating

2 Exposure to violent atmospheric changes

COLDS--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms from both causes manifest themselves in exactly the same way, therefore it becomes very necessary to ascertain what the sufferer has been eating, both as to quantity and as to kind of foods during the previous forty-eight hours.

[Sidenote: Colds caused by overeating]

It often occurs that colds from overeating are cumulative, that is, the patient habitually takes too much fat, sweets, or meat, especially the two latter articles, and these may have been digested, and their nutritive elements may have passed into the circulation, but the body being unable to use them, they finally begin to decompose and are converted into alcohol and other decomposition products. An excess of this effete matter brought to the lungs is called a "cold."

If one who is blessed with good digestion and assimilation should habitually take an amount of nutrition in excess of his needs, it will manifest itself first, perhaps, in the growth of adipose tissue, and later in the various disorders called autointoxication, among which are colds, catarrh, etc.

[Sidenote: Colds caused by exposure]

If the body be exposed to a violent draft of cold air, and sufficient motion is not exerted to keep the circulation active, or if the feet be exposed to cold and wet, Nature, in obedience to the law of self-defense, closes the pores of the skin against the intrusion, hence the poisonous and effete matter that is constantly passing off through these openings cannot escape, but it is picked up by the blood and carried to the lungs to be oxidized or burned in the process of breathing.

[Sidenote: Colds from overeating and exposure, identical]

If the amount of poisons thus brought to the lungs be in excess of the amount that can be consumed or burned, a form of congestion will take place (in the lungs) causing first irritation, then suppuration, which must be thrown off in the form of mucus. It matters not whether the congestion is caused by exposure or overeating, the effects are identically the same, and Nature's method of ridding the body of these poisons is the same in either case. The only difference between an ordinary cold and pneumonia is one of degree.

COLDS--THE REMEDY

Since colds are merely a form of congestion, first in the capillary vessels and next in the lungs, the first thing to be done is to cease eating. The misunderstanding of the old adage "stuff a cold and starve a fever" has killed thousands of ignorant but innocent people. Its real meaning is, if you stuff a cold, you will have to starve an internal fever.

In the treatment of colds, I would suggest the following method of procedure:

1 (a) Omit all food except--

{Such as--
{Apples
Juice of subacid fruits {Grapes
{Peaches
{Plums

This should be continued until the congestion is relieved,
whether it be one day or a week. (For list of subacid fruits,
see Lesson VIII, p. 313.)

(b) Drink copiously of pure, cool water

2 Select a light diet of--

Nuts
Salads
White of eggs
Fresh watery vegetables
Limited quantity of carbohydrates

If the cold is severe, a Turkish bath or any treatment that will produce liberal perspiration, will aid in the elimination of body-poisons and the relief of congestion.

[Sidenote: Remedial value of fresh air and exercise]

Inasmuch as the blood is conveying an excessive amount of poisons to the lungs for oxidation, much depends upon the amount of pure air that is breathed and the cell capacity of the lungs for oxidation; therefore the sufferer, if unable to be out of doors, should be warmly clad and placed before an open window, or on a veranda in the sunshine, if possible, where every breath will be of fresh air. If, however, the patient is able to go out, every moment possible should be spent walking briskly in the open air. Every morning the patient should be given a vigorous "sponge" with a towel dipped in cold water, and rubbed down with a dry one. This should be done in a warm room, with the body well protected from undue exposure. The room should be thoroughly ventilated at night, and in severe cases all garments and sheets used during the day should be thoroughly aired or changed at night.

The old methods of drugging and of excluding the air and sunshine, which is in reality poisoning the patient both within and without, is little less than criminal.

A cool shower, or a sponge bath, together with a vigorous rub every morning immediately on rising, and a normal quantity of natural food, render the body almost entirely immune from colds, la grippe, and all forms of capillary congestion and effete and toxic (poisonous) substances.

(For diet, see volume of Menus, p. 917.)

In cases of Colds:

OMIT EAT

Confections Coarse cereals (very little)
Desserts Fresh vegetables
Fatty foods Fruit (See p. 524)
Flesh foods Light vegetable soups
Heavy starchy foods Nuts
Intoxicants Wheat bran
Whites of eggs

CATARRH--THE CAUSE

[Sidenote: Decomposition of unused food the primary cause of catarrh]

The causes of catarrh are attributed by all old school writers to acute coryza and exposure to irritating dust, or cold, moist, and perhaps infectious air. These may be secondary causes and may augment catarrh after it has appeared, but experience has proved that the primary cause of catarrh is the decomposition of unused food material, and that Nature throws off the decomposition products resulting therefrom, through the nasal passage, in the form of mucus. In the support of this theory I may refer to many cases of ordinary stomach trouble, constipation, torpidity of the liver, etc., that have had my personal care. In nearly all these cases I found that, when the diet was balanced according to the age and the occupation of the patient, with the climate or time of the year, practically all catarrhal symptoms disappeared, and exposure to atmospheric changes, dust, and the usual things that had formerly brought on catarrhal conditions, did not affect the patient.

CATARRH--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of catarrh are constant secretion of nasal mucus, which often passes off into the postnasal and nasopharyngeal spaces. This mucus is usually thin and of a light-colored watery character, varying in quantity according to exposure or activity, the quantity of food eaten, and the temperature of the atmosphere.

CATARRH--THE REMEDY

In the treatment of catarrh, avoid the following:

All meats
Heavy starchy foods (Especially white flour products)
Sweets (See Lesson VIII, p. 334)

The diet should consist of--

A reasonable quantity of proteid foods in the form of--
Beans Peas
Eggs Sour milk
Nuts
Bananas
Coarse cereals--twice a day; such as entire wheat and rye
Fish (small quantity, occasionally)
Fresh vegetables
Green watery salads
Non-acid fruits
Wheat bran--
(Enough to keep the bowels in normal condition)

[Sidenote: Nasal breathing]

Deep breathing through the nostrils and vigorous exercise should be taken freely, especially just after rising and just before retiring. Special attention should be given to breathing through the nose. When the air is pure, there is nothing more healing and remedial in the treatment of catarrh than the abundant passage of air through the nasal cavities.

In cases of Catarrh:

OMIT EAT

All meats A reasonable {Beans
Heavy starchy foods (white flour quantity of {Eggs
and grain products) Proteids {Nuts
Stimulants and narcotics such as {Peas
Sweets {Sour milk
Bananas
Coarse cereals--entire wheat
and rye
Fish, occasionally
Fresh vegetables
Green watery salads
Non-acid fruits

Take vigorous exercise, together with deep breathing through the
nose.

HAY FEVER

Hay fever might be called autumnal catarrh. It is popularly supposed to be irritation of the nasal passages and the bronchial tubes, caused by the flying pollen from various flowers and plants.

HAY FEVER--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of hay fever are usually a salty discharge from the eyes and the nostrils, followed by severe irritation of the mucous lining of the nasal cavity, a sense of fullness in the head, and violent sneezing.

HAY FEVER--THE REMEDY

It has not been the writer's opportunity to examine deeply into the actual causes of hay fever, but it has been his good fortune to cure many cases.

The remedy should be confined to--

Fresh air and sunshine
Close observation of the rules of diet
Total abstinence from all forms of stimulants and narcotics

I would suggest the following diet:

Berries
Eggs
Fish (Limited quantity)
Green and fresh vegetables
Sour milk (Buttermilk)
(Where this kind of milk cannot be obtained, the ordinary
sweet milk will suffice)

The diet must be governed, as already explained in many other cases, by the individual requirements of the patient in regard to the amount of exercise, the temperature of the atmosphere, and the age of the patient. In spring and summer is the ideal time to remove the causes of hay fever and effect its cure. (See Catarrh.)

In cases of Hay Fever:

OMIT EAT

Coffee {Bananas
Confections {Berries
Condiments Abundance {Fresh
Liquors and wines of {vegetables
Tea {Green salads
Tobacco {Sweet fruits
White flour products
Limited {Eggs
quantity {Fish
{Sour milk (buttermilk)

The diet should be governed by amount of exercise, temperature,
etc.

ASTHMA

THE CAUSE

The cause of asthma is congestion in, or constriction of, the bronchial tubes. This congestion is usually caused by overeating and the excessive use of narcotics and stimulants such as tobacco, liquors, and beer. The excessive use of sugar and starches, or what is generally known as carbohydrates, will set up a form of difficult breathing, or at least augment asthmatic tendencies. This condition is more likely to occur among those whose lungs are weakened and who have a tendency toward consumption.

ASTHMA--THE SYMPTOMS

There are but few conditions preceding asthma that can properly be called symptoms. The attacks are usually violent and frequently come on late at night. The patient suffers with a sense of asphyxia, which causes the impression of death from suffocation.

ASTHMA--THE REMEDY

The causes of asthma can be removed by diet, fresh air and exercise. If the patient can take a reasonable amount of exercise, sunshine and fresh air, the cure will be more rapid, but if this cannot be done, the diet can be limited so that there will be but little waste, therefore little congestion, and the necessity for exercise and fresh air will be reduced to the minimum.

In cases of asthma, the diet should be confined to--

Egg albumin
Limited quantity of nuts (No more than two ounces per day)
An abundance of--
Fresh and green vegetables
Fruits
Salads

If meat be taken at all, it should be confined to fish, young
and tender game, or fowl, although these articles are not
recommended.

If the patient be obese or above normal weight, the diet given for obesity should be rigidly observed. If of normal weight, the body should be fed somewhat below its physical requirements, even if a radical loss in weight should be experienced for the first three or four weeks.

If the patient is emaciated, then the diet should consist of six or eight eggs, and about one quart of milk daily, together with sweet fruits and fresh vegetables. Milk may be given in larger quantities, up to three quarts daily, if all other food except eggs be omitted.

In cases of Asthma:

OMIT EAT

All intoxicants About two ounces of nuts per day (no more)
Coffee
Condiments {Fruits
Confections Abundance {Salads
Red meat of {Fresh green vegetables
Tobacco
Egg albumin
If any meat, it should be fish or tender fowl

INFLUENZA

THE CAUSE

[Sidenote: Bacteria the result, not the cause]

This disorder is popularly supposed to be of bacteriological origin, but upon this question the scientific world is much divided. In the opinion of the writer the cause of influenza cannot be traced to bacteria or any other form of germ life. Bacteria is nearly always present in decomposing animal matter. It is the opinion of the writer, therefore, that bacteria is the result and not the cause of influenza. It might be described as an acute activity of the entire system in throwing off accumulated waste or toxic substances. This process of excretion will become more difficult at certain times, during violent changes in temperature, and many people in small communities may be similarly afflicted, which no doubt gives rise to the theory that it is a disease of germ origin.

INFLUENZA--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms are headache, languor, sometimes nausea and congestion in the lungs, together with acute irritation of the nasal passages.

INFLUENZA--THE REMEDY

The logical remedy is normal temperature of environment, abundance of fresh air, and omission of all solid food.

There are two specific forms of diet to be recommended--

1 A liquid diet entirely, such as--
Juice of berries
Orange juice
Milk
Very thin vegetable soups

2 Confine diet entirely to--
Nuts
Fruits
Fresh green vegetables

3 Eliminate fats, starches, sugars

Either of the above suggestions will be sufficient to control an ordinary case of influenza if it is rigidly adhered to.

In the spring and summer, the latter diet would be recommended, while in winter, when green and fresh vegetables, fruits, etc., cannot be procured, the milk diet should be given.

In cases of influenza, see menus for colds, hay fever, and catarrh. Take choice, giving preference to those prescribed for hay fever. Whichever menu is chosen, it should be taken in its entirety; that is, do not select the meals from two or three menus.

INSOMNIA

THE CAUSE

The inability to sleep is caused:

1 By intestinal congestion or sluggish intestinal peristalsis

2 By irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and
intestines

3 By the presence of gas, superacidity, and the consequent
irritation and excitation of the nerves leading out from the
digestive tract

4 By the use of tobacco

5 By the consumption of stimulants and narcotics, which are so
universal and so life-destroying

The effects of (4) and (5) upon the stomach are much the same as those of overeating, in that they invariably cause supersecretion of acid, and, in the majority of instances, produce false appetite, thus augmenting the baneful habit of overeating.

INSOMNIA--THE REMEDY

The logical remedy for insomnia is first to eliminate the use of tea, coffee, tobacco, distilled and malted liquors, and drugs of every kind whatsoever, as the ultimate effect upon the stomach of all these things is the same. When this has been done, the amount of food required by the body, governed by the three laws of age, work, and temperature of environment, should be accurately laid out so that the quantity of food may be controlled and overeating avoided.

[Sidenote: Cases necessitating a special remedial diet]

The diet should also be balanced according to the chemical needs of the body heretofore mentioned. In a a majority of cases, when the food scientist can prevail upon his patient to confine himself to a normal quantity of food, reasonably well balanced as to nutrient elements, the stomach will perform its natural functions, and fermentation with its long train of ills will gradually disappear. This can, in many instances, be accomplished by merely standing out of Nature's way, but in some cases the stomach, liver, intestines, and nervous system have been so long abused and so impaired that they seem to have entered into a conspiracy for mutual protection, hence may not yield to the "normal quantity" or "balanced dietary" remedy. In these cases a remedial diet must be followed, such as will restore the balance by omitting altogether the elements on which the patient had been overfed, and taking an excessive quantity of the elements for the lack of which the patient had been suffering.

The following menus should be adopted in the treatment of ordinary cases of Insomnia:

SUMMER WINTER

BREAKFAST BREAKFAST

Cantaloup Hot water
A baked banana Wheat bran, cooked
Wheat bran, cooked Whole wheat, thoroughly cooked
Thin cream

LUNCHEON LUNCHEON

A baked potato or fresh corn Vegetable soup

DINNER DINNER

Choice of one of the following: Choice of one of the following:
Beans Peas Cabbage Parsnips
Carrots Spinach Carrots Turnips
Corn Squash Eggplant
A potato--eat skins and all One two-minute egg
Wheat bran A baked potato

In cases of insomnia:

OMIT EAT

Distilled and malted liquors All fresh vegetables
Drugs of every kind Coarse cereals, boiled whole
Desserts Egg whites
Flesh foods Leafy salads
Soda-fountain drinks Nuts
Tea and coffee Wheat bran, if constipated
White bread

Mastication should be very thorough. Eat sparingly at the evening meal. Two meals a day preferred, 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Drink plain water.

RHEUMATISM--GOUT

These disorders are grouped under the same heading because they are of identical origin.

[Sidenote: Why rheumatism manifests itself largely in the joints]

In the average body of five feet eight inches in height, there are about 2,000 miles of tubing, classified under the various names of arteries, veins, capillaries, and nerves. Altogether this is called the circulatory system. A vast amount of this system is infinitely small. Every atom of food taken into the circulation that is not used or converted into energy passes into some of these infinitely small tubes and nerve fibers. These tubes are susceptible of considerable expansion in the fleshy part of the body, but where they pass through the joints or cartilage, there is but little expansion. There these undissolved atoms are most likely to congest, therefore the first expression of rheumatism is usually in the joints. If it takes place at the terminals (fingers or toes), it is called gout; if in the muscles, it is called muscular or inflammatory rheumatism. This congestion accounts for the stiffness and lack of elasticity in the joints. These accumulated atoms become in time almost as hard as bone.

RHEUMATISM--THE CAUSE

The cause of both rheumatism and gout are practically the same--that is, overeating, especially of flesh and starchy foods. _Meat_ and _bread_ are the two things that cause nearly all rheumatism, though rheumatic symptoms often appear among vegetarians, caused by the overconsumption of starchy food, especially when acid fruits are used. The ideal diet for producing rheumatism is cereals, white bread, meat, acid fruit and eggs.

RHEUMATISM--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of rheumatism often manifest themselves a year or more before an attack comes on.

The _earlier_ symptoms are--

Languor, stupidity and dulness
in the morning

Impaired circulation and a
sense of body-heaviness

The _later_ symptoms are pain in the joints or muscles, often followed by inflammation and severe soreness and stiffness.

The rheumatic usually has good digestion. In fact, it is the ability of the digestive organs to force more nutrition into the circulation than is needed, that produces this dis-ease.

In nearly all cases of rheumatism and gout the patient will be found to have been a large consumer of starchy food, especially of the cereal family, which is the most difficult of all starches to dissolve.

GOUT--THE CAUSE

[Sidenote: An excess of starch causes an excess of acid]

The primary cause of gout is faulty metabolism; behind this, however, are other causes. The metabolic process is rendered faulty or incomplete by the overingestion of heavy starchy foods. This excess of starch, which the body is not able to appropriate or use, becomes acted upon by the excess of acid which is always present when too much starch is consumed. This harmful process is often augmented by the eating of fruit-acids such as grapefruit, lemons, oranges, pineapples, and other citrus-fruits. In addition to these causes the uric acid residual in meat and in the yolk of eggs is an important factor in the causation of gouty or rheumatic conditions.

GOUT--THE SYMPTOMS

The earlier symptoms of gout are nervousness, irritability, and sometimes insomnia. In the second stages, shooting pains through the fingers and toes are experienced, and later a swelling or a slight inflammation of these terminals. After this acute condition has existed for perhaps a year, the pain may cease and the joints may begin to swell. Knots are also often formed, especially upon the hands, and sometimes upon the feet.

RHEUMATISM, GOUT--THE REMEDY

The remedy for these disorders may be said to lie wholly within the realm of diet, exercise and oxidation, supplemented by a liberal superficial application of heat, such as Turkish and electric light baths.

In all cases of rheumatism and gout, the following should be omitted:

All acid fruits, such as,
Grapefruit
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Pineapples
Eggs
Red meats
Starchy foods (Carbohydrate class)

The diet should be confined to--

Fish and white meat of fowl
Fresh vegetables
Nuts
Salads
Sweet and non-acid fruits
(See Lesson VIII, p. 313)

[Sidenote: How to prevent the active principle of rheumatism]

If the diet were confined wholly to green salads, fresh vegetables and white meats, it would remove the causes of these disorders, and inasmuch as Nature is always striving to create perfect health, the cause being removed, she would begin at once to apply the remedy, by removing the congested mass of undissolved calcareous matter, atom by atom. Thus the active principle of rheumatism would disappear.

Where the joints have become enlarged, the best that can be done is to render them flexible. It is almost impossible to take out of them all the accumulated deposits, and to reduce them to their natural or normal size.

[Sidenote: Natural perspiration vs. artificial in the treatment of rheumatism]

In addition to the above-named restrictive diet, the patient should be given sufficient exercise each day to generate enough heat to cause perspiration. It is well to remember that one drop of perspiration forced out of the body by activity is worth a dozen drawn out of the body by the application of superficial heat, such as the Turkish bath. Natural perspiration should come from exercise (muscular friction). This is the method designed by Nature to throw poisonous substances to the surface in the form of sweat, thereby demolishing the old cell and making a place for the new. The Turkish bath and massage is the lazy man's method of cheating Nature, and cannot possibly bring as good results as can obedience to the natural law of motion.

In cases of Rheumatism and Gout:

OMIT EAT

All acid fruits-- Buttermilk
Grapefruit Fish and white meat of fowl
Lemons Fresh vegetables
Limes Nuts
Oranges Potatoes
Pineapples Salads (green)
Coffee Sweet fruits (non-acid)
Eggs
Liquors, wines, beers
Red meat
Starchy foods
Tobacco

Eat rather sparingly, especially at the evening meal.

BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE

This disorder is confined entirely to the kidneys. In its final analysis it is nothing more than consumption or destruction of the kidneys by thrusting upon them a greater amount of waste matter than they are capable of throwing off, the result being (1) irritation; (2) ulceration; (3) suppuration or consumption.

BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE CAUSE

The causes of Bright's dis-ease are overingestion of food, especially sweets, starches and meats; the taking of stimulants and narcotics, and the consequent failure of the body to eliminate the poisons or waste accumulating therefrom.

BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of Bright's dis-ease are scant amount of urine, heavily laden with solids and fatty granules, while leucocytes and even red blood-corpuscles are often shown, especially in advanced cases. Dull pains in the small of the back, and a general weakening in the lumbar regions are common symptoms.

BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE REMEDY

[Sidenote: Prevention of Bright's dis-ease by correct feeding]

It has been popularly supposed, and announced from many alleged sources of authority, that there is no remedy for this dis-ease, and from the standpoint of Materia Medica this probably is correct, but from the standpoint of the natural scientist there is a remedy. However, Bright's dis-ease, like all others herein discussed, can better be prevented than cured, and under a correct dietetic regimen, with plenty of exercise and fresh air, the kidneys, like every other organ of the body, will perform their normal functions.

When Bright's dis-ease has made its appearance, the first thing to be ascertained is the character of the diet and the general habits of eating and drinking during the previous two or three years; secondly, the occupation or habits of exercise, especially exposure to fresh air and sunshine.

BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE TREATMENT

A very restricted diet should be observed, consisting largely of the following:

Fresh vegetables
Green salads
Subacid fruits
The fine cereals--(Such as barley and rice)
Milk and eggs--(limited quantity)

All _sweets_ taken should be in the form of sweet fruits. (See Lesson VIII, p. 313).

Milk is very beneficial in this condition--especially when taken in the form of buttermilk, clabbered milk, koumyss or zoolak. The lactic acid ferments in the sour milk help to destroy the germs of putrefaction in the intestines, which are always one of the aggravating causes of Bright's disease.

Sometimes an exclusive acid milk diet for a while works wonders.

[Sidenote: Suggestions for diet in different seasons]

If the patient is under treatment in the spring and summer, as many green plants and fresh sweet fruits as possible should be taken, in connection with the milk, eliminating cereal starch entirely. In the fall and winter, the many varieties of apples and autumn vegetables may be taken in liberal quantities.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE

In the majority of cases it is well to first put the patient on a short fast of about twenty-four hours, and then begin the diet with articles containing a liberal quantity of cellulose, such as the entire wheat, boiled; celery, cooked in casserole dish.

Keep the bowels open by the use of wheat bran, or grapes, if they are in season, swallowing skins, seeds and pulp.

As in all sympathetic disorders, an abundance of pure, cool water should be taken and as much time as possible should be spent in the open air and sunshine.

Care should be taken to limit the diet to the minimum so that the excretory organs can easily eliminate all waste matter, and so that there may be no further poisonous accumulations.

In cases of Bright's Dis-ease:

OMIT EAT

Drugs Abundance of nuts (Italian pine nut)
Flesh of every kind Fine cereals--barley, rice
Intoxicants Fresh vegetables
Rich desserts Green salads
Sweets Limited quantity of milk and eggs
Sweets in form of fruit-sugar, such as
dates, figs, raisins (limited quantity)
Subacid fruits
Wheat bran with evening meal

The diet should be somewhat restricted.

Drink an abundance of pure water.

DIABETES

This disorder may be described as one of malassimilation from the stomach, liver, kidneys, and intestines, but to the trained student it is better described as a condition in which the capacity of the body to burn or use grape-sugar has become chronically depressed. It is usually supplemented by a lack of physical exercise and elimination of body-poisons.

DIABETES--THE CAUSE

From the above explanation it will be seen that diabetes, like all other dis-eases of the digestive organs, is caused directly by errors in eating--overconsumption of carbohydrates (sweets and starches), and albuminoids. These errors are augmented by inactivity, causing lack of assimilation or utilization of nutritive elements.

DIABETES--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of diabetes are intense thirst and appetite, copious passing of urine and the presence of excessive quantities of sugar and uric acid therein.

DIABETES--THE REMEDY

The selecting, proportioning and balancing of the daily menu, together with an observance of the natural laws hitherto laid out, will prevent diabetes, but after it has made its appearance the remedy lies in simple and limited feeding.

The sufferer should be put upon a rigid diet of fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits, and salads. If the body has not been trained to accept these foods, the diet might consist of the following:

Bloodless (white) meats
Eggs
Fats--reasonable quantity (Olive-oil, butter, cream)
Fish
Fresh vegetables
Green salads--generous quantity
Nuts

If the patient be _overweight_, the diet should consist largely of subacid fruits and nuts. If _underweight_, a liberal quantity of sour milk should be given, especially whole soured milk in which the cream is also present.

[Sidenote: Diet in extreme cases of diabetes]

In extreme cases the patient should be required to subsist upon Pignolia (the pine) nuts, and green or fresh vegetables uncooked. The writer knows of a gentleman suffering from a very advanced case of diabetes, who, in utter despair, adopted a diet consisting entirely of pine nuts, merely because they appealed to his taste, while nothing else did. A noticeable change for the better was seen in a week, especially in regard to the amount of sugar passed in the urine. He adhered rigidly to this diet for nearly three months. He then added green salads and carrots, and the seventh and eighth months a few fresh cooked vegetables, and was pronounced thoroughly cured before the year had expired. This might have been due partly to the limited bill of fare, but undoubtedly it was largely due to the food elements contained in this wonderful product of the Italian pine.

In cases of Diabetes:

OMIT EAT

Condiments All fresh vegetables, cooked--
Confections preferably in casserole dish
Irritants Nuts
Pastries Baked potatoes
Red meats Coarse whole cereals thoroughly
Stimulants and narcotics cooked--small quantity
Sweets Fish
White flour products Milk (sour)
Very ripe subacid fruit
White meat of fowl

Drink an abundance of pure water.

In treating diabetes, foods containing starch and sugar should not be wholly eliminated from the diet, but should be administered in limited proportions, or such quantities as the body could use. Starches and sugars contained in cereals and legumes, however, should in extreme cases be omitted because they are difficult to digest and to assimilate. If the digestion is impaired, the body is likely to cast out these valuable nutrients through the kidneys, rather than labor to digest and to assimilate them. The starches and sugars found in fresh vegetables (See table, Vol. III, p. 614), are easily digested and assimilated, therefore in cases of diabetes the body will use or appropriate them, as this entails less energy than that required to cast them out.

CONSUMPTION

For many centuries chemists, scientists, and medical men generally have been vainly battling with this dis-ease. It is only within the past decade that it has been understood or successfully treated.

Consumption is an infection of the lungs by the bacteria called bacillus tuberculosis. The local inflammation produces lesions, and the formation of small growths (nodules) of gray, white, or yellowish tubercles.

[Sidenote: Authorities differ concerning the bacillus]

It is yet an open question and a matter of grave doubt in the minds of various authorities on this subject as to whether the bacilli is the real _cause_, or the _result_ of the dis-ease. The fact that a person or an animal afflicted with tuberculosis was in "susceptible condition" is much emphasized by all authorities.

[Sidenote: Predisposing conditions and occupations]

Such disorders as catarrh, influenza, chronic colds, etc., are all predisposing conditions. Such trades as metal grinding, spinning, weaving, cleaning grain, street sweeping, or any vocation necessitating the breathing of large quantities of dust, are termed predisposing occupations, which show very clearly that all writers are practically agreed that the real cause is undoubtedly due to imperfect oxidation or impaired use of the lungs.

The above conditions may be brought on from two specific causes--

1 By the habitual overingestion of food, and the consequent
congestion of effete matter in the lungs, brought thither by the
circulation in its effort to dispose of the waste-products by
burning them with oxygen.

2 Through the agency of foreign substances breathed in, which
gradually congest, and prevent thorough oxidation and normal
activity of the excretory function of the lungs.

[Sidenote: Bacilli the result, not the cause of consumption]