The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-01-22
SPINAL CURVATURE

SPINAL CURVATURE
Prevention and, in the early
stage, correction OF lordosis is
brought about by the same general
measures as those which prevent or
correct lateral spinal curvature, high
hip and high shoulder, or low hip
or low shoulder, as tailors or dress
makers call 1t.
Exercises such as the movements
of the Last Brady Symphony de-
scribed and illustrated in 1.-THE Z
Keys to Vite" or the Setting up"
exercises given flabby young men at
the beginning Of their military train
ing, or the calisthenic exercises given
classes at the Y or in school are
excellent.
Hanging from bar or trapeze and
trying to draw the feet toward or
to the bar, Is fine, but of course
such exercise must be only briefly
done at f1rst-fatigue and strain or
muscle soreness from excessive ef-
fort must be carefully avoided.
Lying on the back, with feet an
chored under some heavy chair or
other furniture and pulling body up
to sitting position is a fine exercise
to strengthen the weak muscles In
cases of lordosis, swayback, pro-
tuberant belly, and in cases Of
scoliosis, as physicians call lateral
spinal curvature. Once is enough
to do this at first, week by week
increase the number of times at a
seance, until the movement is done
half dozen times, then try doing
it without anything to hold the feet
down.
Brace Yourself, Soft, Weak and
Flabby
| Bad posture is essentially a group
OF ptoSes (sagging of organs and
other bodily structures), ani any
/ thing that lowers vitality and muscle
tone increases the tendency to bad
posture. In childhood, youth and
early adult life nutritional def
cheney, from inadequate daily intake
of the essential vitamins B complex
and D and the minerals calcium,
phosphorus and iron-which are
largely removed by modern refine
ment, preparation and storage of
food-almost always calls for cor
rection.
This nutritional deficiency ac-
counts for poor muscle tone, that
Is firmness, resiliency or elasticity.
not only of the voluntary muscles
but also the heart (Which Is prin-
cipally muscle) and the muscle coat
or wall of the blood vessels and the
muscle coat or wall of stomach and
intestine.
Flabbiness or atony Qack of tone,
atomic State) OF circulatory and ali
mentary muscle manifests itself in
the many common functional trou-
bles which are SO often ignored or
shrugged OIL as a natural condition
OF early life, or treated with good
tonic"
A tonic" is a remedy which in
creases tone and restores or i'm
proves enfeebled function. The
shortening of the familiar tonics
OF yesteryear was that they were
empirical, that is, prescribed or
taken only because some one else
had prescribed or taken the same
connection for similar trouble and
seemed to be helped by it.
Supplementing the ordinary diet
OF child, youth or adult with the
vitamins and perhaps the minerals
already mentioned is true, scientific
tonic treatment. It is nearly as i'm
portant as proper exercise and i'm
provement of posture, in the pre-
vention or treatment of spinal cur
vature. In many instances this
tonic" seems to give the ambition
or vim needed by the soft, weak and
f1abby to take the necessary exercise
and practice better posture habit.