The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-10-02

OIlOg hllh SAAy
his column.
departments in that speciality in
most New York hospitals and in
many others over the country, and
persuaded the medical profession
Of the value Of massage, heat, cold
and electricity in the treatment Of
disease.
But it is still a neglected sub
ject. Every hospital as soon as it
opens establishes a drug room, but
only one in twenty sets aside a
place for physical therapy. The
doctor you call in for such all
ments as lumbago, sciatica, pleu-
risy, a cold, or a pain in the abdo-
men reaches at once for his pre-
scription pad, but seldom rolls up
his sleeves to give you a massage
or apply a hot or cold compress.
And how often does he order phys
ical treatments that can be given
only by experts-massage, dia-
thermy. Every home has medi-
cine closet, but the only imple-
ment for physical therapy likely
to be found in the average Ameri-
can castle is a hot water bag.
Once in a thousand times you find
u sun lamp.
Yet here is whole armen-
tarium of treatment which is inn
mediate and powerful in their ef-
fects, which never, as is the case
with drugs, create a habit and
which leaves no disagreeable after
effects.
Home Physical Therapy
But, you will say, it requires
special and expensive apparatus.
Not at all. The best form of physi-
cal therapy can be given in any
American home with a we'll APP
pointed bath room. The procedures
can be done by any intelligent
house mother with no more in
struction than is required to tell
her how to give the medicine which
doctors are so lavish in prescrib-
ing.
What conditions are proper for
the application of physical Their
apy? Well, it is: () the best
treatment on earth for a common
cold-nasal douche and chest COM
press. (2) Far safer than a cathar-
tic, which everybody instinctively
takes for a stomach ache, is the
stupe, or wet compress. (3) The
sovereign remedy for sleepless-
ness; (4) and lumbago and mus
cular rheumatism; 60 headache;
(6) fatigue-acute and chronic
such as neurasthenia-to name
only few.
The methods adapted to home
treatment are massage, exercise,
the use of hot and cold water and
electricity as exemplifed in the
sun lamp.
~ Easy TO Learn
To show how easy it is to learn
forms of physical treatment, will
quote a famous passage from the
works of Mr.. Baruch's father. He
is speaking of the hot compress
for abdominal pain:
II will simplify my apparatus
by limiting it to basin, two
towels and tea kettle filled with
boiling water. Have the patient lie
fiat on another towel which goes
under the hips. The majority of
hot applications fail for one OF two
reasons-they are either too hot
or too cold. Hot applications
should be between 125 and l65
degrees F. Pick one Of your towels
out of boiling water and place 1t
in the other, and twist the two
ends of the dry towel until most
of the boiling water is squeezed
out. Then, having anointed the
skin of the patient with olive oil
or vaseline, spread the hot wet
towel over the abdominal surface
and rapidly cover it with the ends
of the towel he is lying on, pinning
them together over his middle.
Usually in less than sixty Sec
onds you will get a relief that can
be obtained from no other apphca-
ton that know Of.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A. L. P.:-You recently stated
that ordinary badness was not TO
be confused with alopecia areatea
which is a form of badness that
can be cured. How can alopecia
areatea be distinguished and what
is the cure?
A.: In alopecia areatea there is
rapid and complete loss Of hair in
patches. Gradually on the bald