The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-05-01

MS column.
what said a week or so ago about
lumbago. He said | spoke Of it as
if it were a minor ailment. He
says the fact that lumbago allows
you to get up and about your BUSH
ness and that it doesn't kill you
outright are its greatest disad-
vantages. II death would end the
agony it would be bearable. |
think forget to mention he is in
the throes Of an attack himself in
his own person.
DR.. Ritz is Of the opinion that
lumbsgo is an epidemic infectious
disease, probably caused by a vi
rus. And there is q great deal TO
support this view. 1t certainly
sweeps over communities in cpl
demic form, usually in the spring.
II is evidenced in its early stages
by a fever, or a little headache,
loss Of appetite and all the pro-
dromal symptoms Of an infectious
state.
May Be Contagious
To show its contagiousness, DR..
Ritz had an instance in his own
practice of a married couple. The
wife went to the Red Cross and as
ISOLATED with two Of her sister
workers who had lumbago. She
came down with it "a hours later
and "a hours after that her hus-
band. who had been in perfect
health, came down with an attack
of pain in the back which put him
to bed. Not only in my own home
town where know of II cases in
the last few weeks, but my spy
system has unearthed semblances
Of an epidemic in st. Louis, Chi
cago and Dallas this spring.
There is no reason why virus
should not get into the body
through the digestive or respira-
tory systems and because it has an
affinity for the lumbar muscles
light there and cause trouble any
more than there is why q virus,
such as infaheile paralysis, should
enter by the same portals and light
only in the nerve cells of the an
terror horn Of the spinal cord: it
argues some kind Of an affinity,
chemical or biological; and there
could be some such between the
lumbar muscles and some other
virus.
4 similar analogy would .ppiT
TO shingles: here it is now as
sumed n the best medical circles
a virus is the cause: it enters the
body and circulating in the blood
picks out only the ganglia Of one
or more sensory nerves.
Lumbago is so named because It
lights in the lumbar muscles.
These are the very heavy and
strong groups Of muscles in the
back, which attach to the spine
and are involved in nearly every
movement made by the body.
That's why it hurts so much. You
can't even roll over in bed with
out having the sore muscles creak
and cry out.
Non.medical Remedies
As to treatment, every patient
learns sooner or later, usually
later, that time is the surest "a
lever. To the fellow who has just
had lumbago few days this seems
very cynical, but to the graduate
Of six weeks standing it has at
least the advantages Of truth.
There are innumerable drugs
which are used for relief - the
straightforward as aspirin-have
always been used for rheumatics.
DR.. Ritz says the latest is to give
a solution of calcium gluconate in
the vein The directions say 70
take it every other day, but the
doctor took one dose and it heated
him up so he stopped at that: he
preferred the disease to the rem
edy. He said he had hot flashes for
"a hours. But he's sort Of cranky
and others might not react that
way.
To my mind this is the ideal con-
iition for non-medical remedies.
Grease the back every night with
an ointment with a little camphor
in it, and lie down on your face
and have Mama put a flannel on
top Of it, and run an iron-just IS
hot as you can stand--over the
sore places. And massage-here
is the ideal spot for massage. II
you can get a graduate Of the
Kellberg Institute Of Stockholm he
or she will take the kinks out Of
you.