The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-02
CALCIUM WILL STOP II
 LEG CRAMPS


 LEG CRAMPS
 Seems as though any new Idea or Suggestion given here goes in one ear and out of the other the first half dozen times. But If we keep re- iterating the thing eventually a few readers will begin to get 1t.
 Muscle cramps in the legs, some- times in the arms, coming on at night, waking the victim from sleep and compelling him or her to get up and rub the cramped muscles or work them actively for a time to get relief, are 8 common complaint of persons past middle age. Generally there is no particular trouble in the circulation or in the vessels in the limbs. It seems to be just touch of tetany, think. Of course I'm merely a plodding old door-to-door doctor peddling my favorite recipes, which I have probably cooked up in the clothes boiler out in the back lot. neither guarantee anything nor demand anything.
 Now in reference to these cramps, I say I regard the condition as te- tany. Ordinarily tetany (not teta- nus) is seen in infants, but probably many cases in adults escape recog- milton simply because physicians are not looking for it. The typical te- tany of infants affects the hands chiefly, less often the muscles of face, trunk, sometimes the larynx.
 Tetany in young children in their second year is often associated with rickets. The characteristic condition is an extreme irritability of the nervous system and a marked tendency to muscle spasm and to convulsionS. There is a calcium de- ficiency, either deficient assimilation of calcium from the food or failure to utilize and retain calcium in the blood and tissues.
 So far as the adult tetany is con- cerned, the cramps are soon relieved If the patient takes some form of calcium two or three times day for a week or so, from time to time. as needed. Say five or ten grains of calcium lactate before or after meals three times daily. It is always advisable to take some vitamin D when taking calcium, for vitamin D is essential for the assimilation, utilization and retention of calcium. For this reason recommend wafers which contain calcium gulconate, dicalcium phosphate and vitamin D --one such wafer two, or three times daily. [
 One with such irritability of the nervous system, whether troubled with definite spasmodic tendency or not, should endeavor to follow a high calcium diet, taking plenty of the foods richest in calcium, mo- tably milk, cheese, any kinD, peas, beans, nuts, green leafy relishes or vegetables, egg yolk, turnips, carrots and of course see to 1t that there is an adequate daily intake of sum- shine vitamin D. Only natural foods containing significant amounts of vitamin D are cream, butter, egg yolk, salmon fresh or canned, per- haps oysters. Fish liver oils are richest sources.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Rough, Dry, Red, Tender Hands
 This time of year, my hands and arms become red, irritated and rough. don't know whether it is the cold or because I usually finish housekeeping about now, having used good deal of strong cleansers.
 Mrs. c. M. s.
 Answer-Prepare this hand lotion and apply few drops to the skin after washing and before hands are quite dry, two or three times daily. Boil, stirring constantly, about g pint of water, with rounded tea spoonfuls of boric acid, heaping tea spoonful of tragacanth shavings, four teaspoonfuls of glycerin. Add