The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-04-07
Your Health
 By Dr. William Brady

Q stamped selR.addFessed envelope ls enclosed. Letters should be brief and written In ink. No reply can me made to queries not conform ing Co instructions. Address Dr. william Brady, National News paper Service, S20 West Madison Street, Chicago. Ill.
 DON'T MONKEY WITH YOUR
 DIET
 A serious drawback about "diet- lng"-which too many of our cor- respondents associate only with re- ducing--is that in excluding or re- stricting the amount of this and that type of food 1t often happens that the individual restricts his or her intake of essential vitamins to Q precarious minimum. If the dieting" is continued for weeks or months without medical advice the victim is likely to develop manifeS- tations of nutritional deficiency and experience impairment of health, strength, vite and good looks, if any, and little or no benefit to the condition for which the dieting Is done.
 This applies not only to obesity or overweight. It applies with even greater force to such conditions as peptic ulcer Cstomach, gastric, duodoenal ulcer), "acidosis" (which Is imaginarfy in most instances). colon derangement Sometimes in- correctly called mucous collie" and "colitis," diabetes, any and all of the ills called rheumatism" "in- digestion" in general and nervous indigestion" or intestinal tndiges- ton" in particular. Not that the character of the diet is neglible in such cases, but whatever modifica- ton of diet may be advisable or re- Quired it Is always imperative to see to 1t that the follower of the diet shall receive an adequate daily ration of the esential vitaminS, and in most instances the greatest benefit will be obtained by supple menting the restricted diet with an optimal daily ration of the essential vitamins. That means perhaps three times as much of such vitamins as may be essential to maintain good health.
 What are the essential" vita mins? That depends on the indi- vidual circumstances. Generally vit- amin B-compleX and vitamin D. In the case of an individual with peptic ulcer, vitamin c is essential. simply because such persons get very little vitamin c in the food they ordinarily take. In the case of an individual with diabetes, vita min B-complex Is most essential, particularly Bl (thiamin), because the foods a diabetic may take ordi- narily contain very little B-complex, and moreover B1 aids the metabol- ism of arbohydrate-so much so that it deserves the name of poor mans insulin." In the case of q child or a youth whose general de- velopment is handicapped by dis ease, Vitamin D becomes more es- sential.
 In any of the conditions men toned the optimal daily ration of vitamins may be taken with any meal or food once day or divided into two or three portions to be taken with food two or three times Q day, as may be more convenient. In some of the conditions men tioned, notably peptic ulcer and obesity, it is generally vetter to take four or five small meals day than to take two or three large meals. The practical basis for this is given in the chapter How to Reduce on Four Square Meals a Day" in the booklet Rules for Reducing" The use of vitamin B in diabetes is eX- plained in boklet Training for Diabetes" which teaches those who have inherited the potentiality how to live. Finally, the booklets "V-I-T-E Spells Youth" and 50 You Have Indigestion?" explain about the importance of more D in the teens, and give menus for pep tic ulcer victims and the well mem- bers of their families. For the re- ducing booklet send Dr. Brady 25c, for any of the others ten cents, and stamped envelope bearing your ad- dress, and please wait two weeks for reply.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Attention Smokers
 Did you ever see a cigarette smoker who had indulged as long as ten years, who had any teeth? Think of this when advising pa- tients. Your daily lucubrations are informative and do much good.
 (, M. D.
 Answer-Gosh. Doctor. I do wish I could say haven't. But. alas, l know a good many cigarette smokers who still have as hood teeth as the average American. However, be- lieve very few of. these smokers be- gan in childhood. Young people who begin smoking in high school or college probably won't have good teeth when they attain maturity if they live that long.
 Eczema
 Suffered with eczema since child hood. Treatment by many physis clans. some skin specialists. of only slight temporary avail. Now I have a baby 10 months old. Is he likely to inherit eczema from me? Is 1t contagious or communicable to the baby? (Mrs. A. F)
 Answer Eczema is neither com- municable nor directly hereditary. although a predispoSition to it may run in the family. Send a three cent stamped envelope bearing your address, for pamphlet on "Eczema."
 Mineral Oil
 Have to take large dose of mineral oil nightly for diverticulosis. Does it prevent me from assimilating vitamins? CMrs. D. MO
 Answer-Afineral oil is a foreign substance. not digestible. It inter a.. Aa~A