The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-11-10
DIETING FOR DYSPEPSIA.


over- eating, many persons seem TO suppose
that it may be cured by going to the oppo-
site extreme, and eat as little as will keep
soul and body together. But greater mis-
take could not we'll be committed. Suffer
ing is indeed a great folly; but starving
ones self is perfect madness. In no case
can the dyspeptic be benefited by living on
poor, meager, unnourishing diet. More
harm may be done by eating habitually too
little than too much. Ii is far too common
| a practice among dyspeptics, to attempt to
diet themselves into health, meaning there
by, the practice of rigid abstemiousress,
with the false idea that the less labor they
impose on their stomachs, the more certain
| ly and rapidly will their stomachs recover
healthy strength and vigor. As well
might the engineer expect TO preserve his
locomotive from wear. by stopping his pump
and cutting off the needed supply of water.
| Our bodies are subject to continual waste.
and the extent of this waste is not deter
mined by the quantity of food received
/ Every contraction of a muscle, every breath
We breathe, every beat of our hearts, every
thought We think. every movement of the
minutest part of the machinery of life. is
attended by the destruction of living tissue,
and waste of the elements of the system.
| Unless this waste is regularly supplied,
with inevitable emaciation comes a decrease
of strength, not merely diminution>of the
power to walk, TO run, to lift weights, to
labor; but as well the power to circulate the
blood, to breathe, TO digest food, and to ap-
propriate the nutriment that Is taken to the
wants of the body. All the functions alike
suffer.
Dyspepsia may be, and often is, even in
duced, but certainly never cured, by want
of food, by too rigid a regimen in diet, by
conf ing ones self too exclusively TO some
one article, Or few articles of food, under
the impression that variety in diet is hurt
full, by fostering habit of fastidiousness in
the selection of food. and pampering a
whimsical delicacy of stomach and appetite.
Frequently. temporary TT of indigestion
brought on by some indiscretion in eating
or drinking, which would pass off if the
sufferer would rouse himself to take brisk
half hours walk, is converted into confirm
ed dyspepsia by prolonged course Of fast
ing, or dieting on bran bread and ''slops."
Such course is all wrong. The person
who practices it will be sure to pay heavy
penalty, in the shape of prostrated strength,
loss of courage and energy, letting down
Of all the powers. depression of spirits, ir-
ritabilty, peevshness. freatfulness, unde-
fined and undefnable misery which envel-
opes the whole being like a poisoned gar
ment, and nerves strung to a preternatuIal
tension and rasped to a wire edge.
But" says the dyspeptic, flood de-
stresses me; can scarcely eat crumb of
bread, that il does not give me pain. / am
most free from pain when my stomach Is
empty, and my sutferings commence as soon
as have eaten. Would ycu keep myself
in constant distress by forcing food upon
an unieebled and diseased stom ach ?"
Let US tell you what we would have you
to do: You may lay aside all those arti-
Giles OF food which. by common consent.
are pronounced indigestible; such as pastry,
uncooked vegetables, hot bread and cakes
of all kinds. pickles, rich gravies and soups,
much use of condiments; strong coffee and
tea, unripe and wilted fruit, and smoked
and dried meat. Then if you have tried
any other article. so as to have learned by
experience that ii does not agree with you,
lay that aside too. You will still have
wide range of food to select from, or, of
which you may partake without going to
the trouble of selecting. Within this range
take and eat as much as you require to fully
satisfy the demands of hunger. We do not
say he demands of the appetite. for this
may be vitiated, and, therefore, an unsafe
guide. You can easily distinguish be-
tween hunger and appetite, if you will
Then. if suffering follows the meal. bear it.
This may be hard. we know; but you had
better endure this suffering temporarily,
than TO remain dyspeptic permanently.
Take your principal meal in the middle of
the day, not later than three o'clock, P. N.
Your supper should of course be light; and
ha INT lafa
of heavy food.
Another error into which dyspeptic is
liable to fall, is that of undertaking TO make
the experience of some other dyspeptic
rule for himself. Every one he meets is
sure to have a specific, that "cured him af-
| ter everything else and all the doctors had
failed" One has been raised from ''mere
skeleton" By swallowing daily handful of
pepper corns; another by RETAINING from
all fluids at his meals; and another by eat
ing only once day, and then only bowl
1 of rye mu-h and milk; one by eating moth
ing but meat; one by eating everything that
came in his way; another by eating nothing
that anybody else would think of touching;
and so on to heend of the chapter. The
simple truth is, that in dvsrccppsi every man
! 1uust De law to himself. Some general
principles. but no specific rules, can be
drawn from others. Exercise your own
good sense. and consult your own expert
ence. What you find to agree with you,
adopt. and what disagrees, reject, whatever
others may tell you.
We have spoken only of diet, and princi-
pafly in relation to the folly of attempting
to cure dyspepsia by rigid abstemiousness.
Something more than generous diet is nee
essary to cure-but We regard this az al
most invariably indispensable. OF the 9TH
er requisites; we may speak heresfter.-
United States Journal.
An Israelite lady, sitting in the came box
at an opera with physician. waa much
troubled with ennui. and happened to gap.
4 Excuse me. madam" said the doctor,