Milford chronicle., 1957-12-13
Washington
Letter
Weigh Ward World

We may be a nation which dotes
on the streamlined look-in planes,
cars and every conceivable house,
hold gadget-but at the same time
about IS million of us are eating
ourselves into oblivion.
Especially after the "eat and
drink" phase of Christmas and New
Years, there are bound to be an
even greater number of those who
are not too merry-about the dam
age To their personal streamlining
This Is a reminder TO all those
foo-solid citizens that '58 is good
year TO give a thought to modern
izing their own chassis. The five by
five figure is not only unattractive,
but has been proven a dangerous
detriment TO physical well-being.
Neglect is undoubtedly the num-
ber one cause of overweight-but
running a close second is the sur
plus of "sure fire" methods, diets
and gadgets being offered as the
panacea of the plump. Every per-
son with excess pounds is a dis
tinct individual. with a distinct
body mechanism. The diet reducing
method used successfully by John
or Mary Doe can prove both psy-
chologically an physically harmful
to Richard or Rosy Roe.
We go along with l.. II. Erick-
son. president of the Borg-Erick-
son Corp, who offers a simple
formula for the '58 figure. "You
need, says Mr.. Erickson, zone
good doctors diet, one good bath
room scale, and plenty of good will
power. Mr.. Erickson. who is very
much of an authority on the sub
iect of the precision-perfect scale.
aptly refers to this device as the
barometer of health"-the watch
full eye that links effort with effect
health.
You need 1t. that is, IL It's time
to scale down.
They're Not Candy
1t Is refreshing, in the face of ali
the ballyhoo for these mis-called
happy" pills. to have a word of
caution from one OF the pharma-
ceutical manufacturers.
Medical science #. still has a
lot to learn about tranquilizers--
exactly how they work and on
what part of the BRAIN. says the
Schering Corporation, of Bloom
field, N. j. "Most medical men a
gree that these agents are of value
in treating mentally and emotional
ly. disturbed people. but they also
warn that they should not be used
ndiscriminately."
On their own. the Schering peo-
pie warn that we should not take
any tranquilizer except on specific
orders of a physician. And fur
ther: "Your doctor can determine
by careful examination whether
you should be taking tranquilizer.
Your problem may best be reme-
died by other types OF therapy."
At thes same time Schering adj
mits O. somewhat reticently, 1t
seems to us-that they happen to
have a new tranquilizer called
"Trilafon". 1t permits the doctor,
by varying the dose, to treat any
degree of agitated emotional or
mental disturbance with the one
drug. They also report that many
doctors successfully use tranquil
izers mot necessarily theirs) In the
treatment of epilepsy. alcoholism,
mental problems of the aged, dis
turbed children, surgical shock
nausea and vomiting. heart disease.
high bloodsspressure, among other
conditions.
IL seems to us that II we were
a doctor we'd be pretty impressed
perhaps even grateful-when a
firm makes a serious and sincere
effort to protect the public (in-
cluding his own patients) from
their optimism. wishful thinking
and self-diagnosis.
lur In tnn In tho