Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-03
Stop Killing
Yourself
By Dr.. Peter J. Steincrohn

Dear DR.. Steincrohn: Per-
haps you can shed some light
on a perplexing situation. A
few years ago, my husband
a man of rather explosive
and intense sort of tempera-
ment - attempted to contrib
ute blood for me at our local
hospital. He went three times
and each time his blood pres
sure reading was too high.
A year or so later he went
to a doctor for a completely
different reason, and the doc
tor told him his pressure was
so high that if it wasn't low
cred he wouldn't live to see
40 Che is now 39). This doctor
put him on a regular daily
dosage of phenobarbital then
told him to take it as nee
eSSary.
Last summer on a particu-
larly calm day Temperament
tally, he went to our family
doctor "a new one), who told
him his blood pressure was
just fine. However, every lit
tie while, maybe every few
weeks, he'll need the pheno-
barbital every four hours for
maybe a day or two.
Very often he will have
some sort of attack which
forces so much blood to his
head that he will become deep
red in the face; with blotcheS
down his neck, arms, legs
and hands and will find it
very difficult to catch his
breath.
An hour or two later he be-
comes normal again. This
morning sat on the edge Of
the bed during one of these
attacks and the bed actually
shook with his heartbeatS.
He will not 60 back to his
doctor because he feels he
hasn't been getting the an
swer to his trouble. Have you
any suggestions?-Mrs. T.
WHENEVER PRESSURE
hops all over the place with
out any definite explanation,
l become suspicious of a
small tumor called "pheo-
chromocytoma." Write down
this word, and insist that your
husband make another trip to
the doctor. There are special
tests to diagnose it. If this
adrenal tumOr is present
treatment will transform your
husbands high pressure to
normal.
Il Il 4 y
Dear DR.. Steincrohn: l am
writing to you about my hus-
band, who has suffered from
a bronchial disorder during
the past three years. l am
anxious to know if you regard
his symptoms as something
more serious than just a
bronchial cold.
My husband is SIS, weighs
22O pounds and is 5 feet 8.
He served in the Navy dur.
ing World War II. Their de-
StrOyer was hit in the Battle
of Okinawa. He was burned
but recovered.
He works in a department
of a factory where it is hot all
the time. He Sweats during his
sleeping hours and his clothes
are wet.
His cough is deep and at
times he gags when taking
cold drinks. He eats well and
works steady, but what wor-
ries me is that cough. Just
what shall he do? See a Spe-
cialiSt?-Mrs. x.
BETTER NOT 60 running
off to a specialist until you
have an idea what the cough
is all about. l suggest you
take it up with your family
doctor first. Coughs are
caused by many conditions,
so l can't possibly tell what
is your husbands trouble.
l will say he weighs too
much. Whatever his COM
plant, this excess baggage
he is carrying around day
and night is not good for him.
Does he smoke? Whatever the
underlying lung trouble (if
any it won't be helped by
tobacco.
l doubt that he is suffering
from a bronchial colo"
Your doctor will have to rule
out a number of conditions:
chronic bronchitis, empty
soma, bronchiectaSis (small
pockets Of infection in the
lung, allergy, tuberculosis
and others. am surprised
that you have procrastinated
so long. AS they say, get
with II