Part 19

There is another form of nervousness believed to be caused by overwork, business worries, etc. With these opinions the writer does not agree. If the body is properly fed one is not likely to overwork. Nature will demand rest, and sleep will come while at the desk, or when following the plow.

Investigators are much divided on the question of whether worry causes superacidity, or superacidity causes worry. The experience of the writer in treating several thousand cases of stomach acidity has proved beyond a doubt that acid fermentation and stomach irritation are the primary causes, and what is commonly called "worry" is merely a symptom or result of this condition. It is quite evident, therefore, that all forms of nervousness must go back to the food question for final solution.

NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE REMEDY

Nervous indigestion should be treated as follows:

1 The patient should employ his time in pleasant but useful occupation

2 As to diet, omit the following:

All red meats Acid fruits Bread and cereals Condiments Pickles

{Such as-- {Candies Sweets {Cane or maple-sugar {Dates and figs {Desserts and pastries of all kinds {Sirups

3 The diet should consist of--

An abundance of green salads Baked potatoes (Including the skins) Egg whites Fats--limited quantity--

Such as-- Dairy butter Nut butter Olive-oil Nuts

Fresh vegetables--not canned

{Beans Legumes {Peas {Lentils

In cases of Nervous Indigestion:

OMIT EAT

Acid fruits Baked potatoes Bread and cereals Fats (limited quantity) Coffee and tea Fresh vegetables Condiments Green salads Desserts and pastries Legumes Pickles Limited quantity of milk (preferably Red meats sour) Stimulants of all kinds White of eggs Sweets Tobacco

The experience of the writer for many years has been that the fewer the articles composing the diet, the better the progress could be made in treating nervous indigestion. In many instances, the mono-diet system (eating only one kind of food at a meal) has been adopted with excellent results.

SUBACIDITY

Indigestion is a term used to describe the condition caused by food remaining in the stomach over Nature's time-limit. In such cases there is usually a lack of hydrochloric acid. This disorder is sometimes called hyperchlorhydria. The expression of indigestion, which is a lack of acid, and the expression superacidity or hyperchlorhydria, which is too much acid, are often confusing, inasmuch as both conditions cause a feeling of heaviness or a lump in the stomach. (See "Superacidity," p. 419.)

SUBACIDITY--THE CAUSE

The most prolific cause of subacidity is sedentary habits or lack of activity. This is especially true of young people, while in adults, or those who have passed forty, the usual cause is incorrect eating, or an unbalanced diet.

Another cause of subacidity is the overconsumption of flesh foods. Flesh requires considerable acid for dissolution; sometimes more than is normally supplied by the stomach, and consequently results in indigestion or non-dissolution.

The over-consumption of either starchy foods or sweets may produce the same result. It is therefore obvious that this particular disorder is caused primarily either by overeating or by an unbalanced dietary.

SUBACIDITY--THE SYMPTOMS

1 Brown coating on the tongue--

The white coating on the tongue always indicates too much acid, hence predigestion; while the brown coating indicates insufficient acid, hence indigestion. The white coating shows the action of the acid on the stomach lining, while the brown coating shows the decomposition of food matter in the stomach, usually accompanied by an offensive breath.

2 Gas in the stomach--

Gas sometimes appears in the stomach immediately after eating. This shows that food, in a state of fermentation, remains in the stomach from a previous meal. It also shows that the stomach may be prolapsed; that is, dropped down below its normal level. A sort of pocket is thus frequently formed in which a small quantity of food remains from one meal to another, causing an immediate formation of gas after eating.