The Coolidge examiner., 1935-10-04


us exceeding y
uncomfortable. Asthma attacks
the muscular tubes of the air pas
sages and causes these muscles 10
contract, thereby diminishing the
volume OF air that Is breathed IN.
Hay fever attacks the membrane OF
the nose Eczema may break out
In the skin almost anywhere.
II has been found that. when both
parents have suffered from hay
fever or asthma. IS per cent OF the
children have these ailments. When
only one parent suffers from hay
fever and asthma. usually just half
of the children have the same all
ment But hay fever and asthma
develop In some children where
there Is no family history of this
disease. When both parents are
asthmatics or hay fever sufferers.
children develop the same disease
earlier In life than when one par
ent Is involved or when there is
no history OF these particular all.
ments In the mother or father.
Hay fever parents usually beget
hay fever children, and asthmatic
parents beget asthmatic children.
Hay fever Is usually associated
with August, the month In which
ragweed pollens are most numer.
Gus 10 the air. But the hypersensi-
tive condition OF the nose can be
brought about by other substances
than pollen. animal hair. dandruff.
or such substances can cause IL, as
can face powder. perfumes and GER
tain foods. such as strawberries.
almonds. FISH. etc. or II can be
brought about by bacterial infec-
tlons.
The cause OF asthma can be the
same as that OF hay fever. Inhallng
certain substances, ingesting certain
substances as food or remote foci
for bacterial growths. can cause an
Increased sensItiveness of the mus.
culature OF the tubes leading air
10 the lungs. This increased SEN
sitiveness causes spasms OF these
muscles. Ii is during the period
OF spasm or cramps that the
asthmatlc Is most uncomfortable.
In studies which have been car
rIed on at the Illinois Research hos
pital In connection with the Unlver-
slty Of Illinois. Il seems that an In
diyldual belonging TO the asthma,
hay fever. eczema or hives group is
put together In a different way from
the rest OF us. These representative
people are so constituted and con-
structed that they react in abnor-
NAL manner 10 what would be nor
NAL 10 most OF us.
The individuals who suffer from
mlgraln headache. the sick head
ache that comes on with regular pc
rlodiclty, really belong to the same
general group as the representative
persons do. This does not mean that
the mIgralne Is brought on like an
attack OF asthma or hay fever. But
studies OF the headache groups that
we have made In our research
laboratory leave us impressed with
the fact that preceding an attack
OF sick headache definite internal
changes take place. These include
changes In constituents of the blood,
and there seems TO be a difference
In the internal metabOlism of these
mlgraine sufferers. The changes
seem TO be periodic, occurring some
times at weekly intervals and again
at fortnightly, monthly and even
longer intervals. Consequently these
sick headaches, although not brought
on by inhaling plant or animal sub
stances or by eating certain foods.
seem to depend on a changing or
unstable internal regulating system
that makes the migraine patient
closely akin TO asthmatic and hay
fever sufferers.
Our conclusion then is that per-
sons suffering from asthma, hay
fever, eczema, hives and migraine,
have a very unstable involuntary
nervous system.
The involuntary controlling ma
chinery Of our body functions is so
regulated that 1t can be upset or
thrown out of tune as a result Of
contact with Irritating substances
that 10 the rest of US produce no
deviation from the normal. We
know even less about the migraine
group Of sufferers than the hay fe-
yer group. The cause of the attacks
of sick headache seems to be de-
veloped within the individual, be-
cause we can demonstrate certain
internal body changes preceding the
onset Of migraine. 1t will be neces-
sary to do great deal more labora-
tory work before these spontaneous
representative people and the mi
graine sufferers can be clearly un-
derstood. We must know more about
the cause and how the body changes
during the attacks Of these diseases
before we can attempt to prevent
hem.
G Western Newspaper Union