The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-18
SECRETS OF
HEALTH
By Charles A. L. Reed,
M. D.,


Former President 81 the American
Medical Association.
~ HEsE letters. ID. A. H."
were written upon the
records Of thousands upon
thousands Of men and women dur
ing and after the world war.
They mean "Disordered Action
OF the Heart =
Some physicians speak Of the
condition as the effort syn
drome," which means q set Of
symptoms that are always made
worse by an effort. mental or
physical.
Ought the same letters to b
written on your recordf
The condition may wen b
asked because. while the condi-
ton was induced among multi
tudes exposed to the supreme ef-
forts Of war. they were before
and have since been induced in
many by the supreme efforts Of
peace.
For, after all is there such q
thing as peace in the sense Of
tranquility for the multitudes2
The everyday and all-the-tiHne
fight for existence goes on under
the exactions Of conditions I'm.
posed by our artificial civilization.
The leading symptoms are rapid
and comparatively feeble action
of the heart. the beats increasing
from 76 to 100 or more In o
minute. There is generally Q
little pain in the left breast asso.
ciated with slight dizziness. some
sh0rtness Of breath and q feeling
Of oppression. All Of these
symptoms are made worse by the
slightest effort, but continue. moro
or less to persist under repose
while the condition lasts. The
hands may. be cold and clanmy,
the fingernails tending to become
blue while the hands are hanging
down. There is generally much
mental depression, with an In
definite feeling Of impending dir
aster.
Patients thus afflicted tend 20
become chronic hypochondriRcs
and imagine they have first one
and then another disease. but
they are especially fearful that
they have some hopeless disease
Of the heart.
These fears are unfounded IN
the vast majority Of all cases.
But to get rid Of the fears ana
Of the conditions upon which
they are based it is of the high
est importance to have a careful
study made Of your whole con-
d!tion.
Go at once TO your physician.
and as often after that as he may
ten you to come. He viii take
your history. examine you thor
oughly, and give you necessary
advice.
Don't hesitate TO tell him tranls-
" all the intimate personal do
tails Of your case.
He win hunt about your teeth.
tonsils, throat, stomach ana IN
testines for some focus OF infec-
tior that causes the majority or
all these disturbances.
II he finds such q focus Of In.
lection, he will either remove It
or advise its removal; and when
he does, do NO. foolishly argue
the question with him and thus
lose valuable time.
The central idea Is to change
the habits that have induced tho
condition.
You have every reason to feel
topeful, II you Will only do what
needs to be done and do It IN
time.
I happen to have before me tho
statement that in the British
army after an average rest Of
six weeks in the hospital, 90 per
cent were fit for general service:
80 per cent more were FIT to be
hardened" by exercise for gen
eral labor: 30 per cent more were
fst for light work. while the re-
manning 20 per cent were consid-
cred permanently unfit.
This is a most favorable show
ing and should inspire hope Of
ultimate recovery in ali.
(Cony.ight, is2a, King Features
Syndicate, Inoj