Part 20

SUBACIDITY--THE REMEDY

The logical remedy is to limit the amount of food to the actual requirements of the body, and especially to balance the daily bill of fare in conformity to the chemistry of nutrition.

In cases of chronic indigestion or impoverished acid secretions, it often becomes necessary to prescribe a counteractive diet, the composition of which should be determined by the cause of the disorder. If the cause be over-consumption of meat, the patient should be given a breakfast of acid fruits, and nuts and salads; while if the cause be over-consumption of starchy foods, all legumes and grain products of every kind should be omitted, and a diet of subacid fruits, an abundance of green salads, and even some flesh now and then, such as tender fish or fowl, should be prescribed.

In all cases the special object should be to prescribe an amount of food for the first few days somewhat below the normal requirements of the body, and after the counteractive diet has been taken for three or four days, the menu should be balanced daily as to nutritive elements. By observance of these rules, together with a reasonable observance of the laws of exercise, fresh air and deep breathing, the most obstinate cases of indigestion or subacidity can be overcome.

In cases of Subacidity:

OMIT EAT

Cereals All acid fruits with meals Coffee and tea Buttermilk Flesh foods Fish Liquors Fresh vegetables Sweets Potatoes Tobacco Sautern wine, sparingly White bread Succulent plants Tea Tomatoes Wheat bran Whole wheat

See "Diet in cases of subacidity," p. 464.

BILIOUSNESS

Biliousness is the supersecretion of bile; that is to say, more of this fluid is secreted by the liver than is required for the ordinary processes of digestion, and the excess passes into the stomach.

BILIOUSNESS--THE CAUSE

Biliousness is caused, in a majority of cases, by the overconsumption of fats, milk, eggs, and sweets, or by taking stimulants, especially such as malted or brewed liquors.

BILIOUSNESS--THE SYMPTOMS

The presence of bile in the stomach interferes with the stomach-secretion, thus causing faulty digestion and severe headache, usually starting at the back of the head and ending in a severe pain over the eyes. The complexion becomes sallow and there is a general decline in strength and vitality.

BILIOUSNESS--THE REMEDY

The logical remedy is to remove the above causes by eliminating from the diet such articles as tea, coffee, distilled, brewed and malted liquors of every character, and sweets, selecting such foods as will give to the body all the elements of nutrition, and so combining them as to furnish these elements in the right proportions.

(See menus for "Constipation," Vol. III, p. 761).

In cases of Biliousness:

OMIT EAT

Coffee and tea Bananas Cream Coarse cereals Egg yolks Egg whites Fats Fresh vegetables Intoxicants Fruit Milk Melons Sweets Nuts Wines and liquors of all kinds Succulent plants Wheat bran

CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER

THE CAUSE

Cirrhosis of the liver, or Hanot's Disease, is a condition characterized by degeneration of the liver cells, usually associated with a fatty infiltration.

While there are many conditions that may cause cirrhosis, the principal one, perhaps, is excessive indulgence in alcohol. Thus the disease is frequently called "hob-nailed liver," "gin-liver," etc.

Cirrhosis of the liver is a disease that is almost invariably fatal in from one to two years--although, if the process is not far advanced, and the cause is removed, the patient may recover tolerable health.

It is absolutely necessary that further irritation of the liver, caused by the drinking of alcohol, be stopped. Close attention should be paid to the catarrhal condition of the stomach and bowels, which is usually associated with cirrhosis. (See chapter on Catarrh.)

CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER--THE SYMPTOMS

The symptoms are usually pain in the epigastrium; nausea and sometimes vomiting in the morning; general loss of vitality and ambition; sallow complexion. A dull aching or a throbbing pain is often experienced, followed by a heavy, sluggish feeling, especially on rising in the morning. Alternate constipation and diarrhea, and enlargement of the liver are frequent symptoms. In the atrophic variety, however, the liver shrinks in size.