The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-12-08
THIS BASAL METABOL1SM
THING

i vS OCCkA VANANAOAAA6 ssNAsAAAA esDs~ -
straint over that impulse for e year
or more and can't be gentleman
any longer. It's high time to have
4 quiet chat with those among our
readers who shall be or are now be-
ing subjected to basal metabolism
tests. THOSE who have had the ex-
perieuce should charge It off as edu-
cation or diversion. II the medical
brethren elect to listen in on this con-
fabulation it u all right with US,
provided they preserve decorum.
One woman writes: Il was very SICK
al last winter. Doctor Thought y
was my heart, but ! was too weak 70
be taken to hospital for q basal test
fine physician was giving me
heart medicine -. heart was TOO
rapid 125 or more to the minute
)" This correspondent goes on 20
saw that she has made remarkable
gains since she began taking the
ion and ammonium citrate I sug-
eested here for a simple anemia.
Probably the medicine did her no
harm, but It IS much more reason
able to assume that the medicine, rest
and other things her physician pre-
scribed actually produced the result
she credits to the iron. I know hu-
man nature. But the point I WISH
YOU to notice Is that the woman had
q rapid heart action and the doctor
was uncertain whether there was
some organic heart disease or
whether the rapid heart (tachycardia
Il the medical term for it, was mere
" q feature Of hyperthyroidism OF
masked exophthalmic goitre (Graves
or Basedow's disease, or, as some
machine made specialists call u,
"toxic" goitre).
Here is another woman who COM
plains:
IT am ~ years old and have
been under physicians care Tor
two years have had metabol-
ism tests and found to be hyper
thyroid. Also have paroxysm
taxis cardia (she means the heart
action is rapid by spells) -.
headaches -. teeth X-rays @.
K. but head rays showed slight
sinus which Is now cleared up
-. but headaches continue 49,.
Finally doctor ordered all medic
Inc stopped and nurse to give
high colon irrigationS -.
Here, too, the heart action was RI
Did and the doctor wanted to deter.
mine whether organic heart disease
| Or some general condition cause the
tachycardia. Hence the basal meta.
boliam tests.
This test Is too complicated to de-
scribe here. Suffice to say & gives .
fair index or guage Of tho rate Of
combustion Of fuel and tissue going
ou-metabolism, tho vital chemical
process. IN fever, for instances the
metabolism II ypeeded up. In other
conditions It may be slowed down b.
low tho normal rate Of health.
The knowledge, skill and judgment
Of . wen trained physician, In my
opinion, Is better than any basal me-
tabolism measurement the most e..
pert technician can make. IN the
DIAGNOSIS and treatment Of sickness
At least, I'd prefer . good doctoe's
Judgment to the findings q such
machine measurements.
ny this only after . prolonged
effort 20 learn how and why this I'M
po9ine machinery Wa0 W1a11o6 On tn
medioal profession. think the usa
81 such eadeetS lncTeasos II invef3l
ratio With the decline Of medical
training and sktll. may be dumb
r %. I invite any physician who
knows better to tell me and ou1
readers about 1t.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Breath Holding
Daughter aeed J he's suells Of hold,
ltng tge11k waaen - eriGS. md ahl