The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-06-19

symptom groups may mask a
major disease, such as tubercu-
losis, anemia or gallbladder infec-
ton. Only after all such POSSIBLE
tiles have been eliminated is the
diagnostician justified in calling
the case of Indigestion before him
minor or functional.
The symptoms described by the
dyspeptic are in the order of fire.
quency-fullness in the stomach
or bowel region, in the vulgate
called bloating, then belching and
flatulence and gassy accumulation
feeling generally, then heartburn
or acid eructations into the mouth,
anorexia, or absence of appetite
and least frequent Of all, nausea
and vomiting.
Now all Of these symptoms are
primarily reflex. A reflex is an i'm
pulse that originates at some point
of irritability and goes through
the nervous system and is there
relayed to some system of organs
and there interpreted as a symp-
tom indicating TO the subject a
disorder of the system of organs
that is exhibiting the symptom.
symptoms Commonly Exhibited
The systems of organs which
most commonly exhibit symptoms
are the muscular system produc-
ing the symptom fatigue, the
heart and circulatory system pro-
ducing the symptoms of palpita-
ton or breathlessness and the d.
gestive system producing dyspep-
STA. Such symptoms presented to
the astute diagnostician are
merely an indication to him that
he must find the real trouble, the
point of irritation behind the
symptom.
Most often in the case of dys-
pepsia it is not exactly disease
such as gallstones, but a malad-
justment or Illustration in life. A
fellow wants to paint like Rem
brandt, but has to be content with
interior decorating. Or a gal would
like to write a great novel, but
all she attains is writing up the
household accounts. Or he yearns
for a divine creature named GUM
evere, but he gets one named
Piety, or she visualizes life with
Gary Cooper, but has to spend it
with Albert, the popular insurance
salesman. We can't all write a
Gone With The Wind, but we can
all take pepsin tablets. We can't
all be geniuses, but we can all be
dyspeptics. That is why it is so
common.
Treatment By Psychotherapy
1t is not remarkable then that
in the great army of dyspeptics
there are so many Of these dis
trait, dreaming, impractical peo-
pie. Thank heaven for the great
army Of plodding, unimaginative
hewers Of wood and drawers Of
water, those who cheerfully do
the leg work Of the world, who can
eat anything, who are proud Of
their stomachs and bowels, or who
never knew they had stomach,
those who think that soda is used
only in baking, and believe Cas-
cara is a town in Italy that Mont
gomery's Eighth Army just failed
to take.
II these considerations are true
il would seem inevitable that the
first and most important method
of treatment for functional dys-
pepsia is psychotherapy. It need
not be an elaborate Freudian psy-
coanalysis, in fact better not be,
but can consist of simple explana-
ton. Much Of an internist's time is
spent convincing some unhappy
individuals that just because they
are full of gas it doesn't mean they
are going to float up to heaven.
Take the symptom of heart
burn. II is caused by the hydro
chloric acid in the stomach re-
gurgitating into the esophagus.
There is probably Immediately be-
hind it an increased secretion Of
the normal hydrochloric acid in
the stomach and the secretion Of
hydrochloric acid is controlled by
nervous impulses. So then, what
have been the unusual nervous inn
pulses in your life lately that
caused this secretion? By talking
things out in this way many dys-
peptic SYMPTOMS calm down.