The Four Epochs of Woman's Life Part 14

-- EURIPIDES.

Indigestion.-- The chief causes of indigestion are: eating rapidly, eating at irregular hours, eating indigestible foods, constipation, and lack of exercise. No one who values her good health will allow herself to be hurried through a meal, nor will she allow the perplexities of life to be thrust upon her at the table for solution.

The first requisite for the digestion of foods is that they should be well masticated, so that the digestive fluids may act on the finely divided particles to the greatest possible advantage. And while digestion is going on all mental labor should be held in abeyance, in order to avoid drawing the blood away from the stomach to the brain.

Furthermore, it is a well-known fact that digestion is best performed when the meals are served at regular hours.

Constipation leads to the formation of gases in the intestines, to fermentation, and to the absorption of toxic materials by the blood.

Through lack of exercise, the appet.i.te fails, the liver becomes torpid, and the muscular and nervous systems lose their tone.

The exercise which the housekeeper gets in going around her house is not sufficient. Daily exercise in the open air is essential to health; as this is to supplement the indoor exercise, the amount taken will vary in proportion to the former. For teachers or those who have a sedentary occupation an hour's active exercise in the open air-- a three-mile walk-- should be supplemented by active gymnastic exercise.

For people in good health, a mixed diet-- that is to say, a diet consisting of meat, vegetables, and fruit-- is the best. If the individual is not well, then the diet must be adapted to meet the needs of that particular case.

Hot breads, all articles of food fried in fats, salads, and pastry are difficult to digest. Tea is very constipating, and when taken in excessive quant.i.ties renders the individual nervous. An excess of coffee leads to congestion of the liver.

Where indigestion exists, the simplest and most sensible remedies are to regulate the diet, and avoid eating between meals. By drinking a gla.s.s of water as hot as it can be sipped one hour before each meal, the mucus is washed out of the stomach, the stomach is empty on coming to the table, and in the best possible condition for the gastric juice to act on the food-stuffs.

Constipation.-- Constipation is the rule with the average American woman; the causes are their corsets, the tight bands of their clothing, lack of exercise, and the fact that they drink too little water and too much tea. The most rational means to overcome it is to drink more water; at least three pints a day should be taken, in addition to soups, tea and coffee, and so forth; the water must be taken into the system as such. Then attention must be given to the diet; plenty of fruit should be eaten, vegetables, and coa.r.s.e bread.

Regularity in this, as in all other habits of life, is most essential, and the individual should go to the toilet at the same hour every day, even if there is no inclination to have a bowel movement, and thus the habit will be established; the most convenient time is directly after breakfast.

Medical Treatment.-- But if all these means have failed, medicines must be resorted to. Cold water is a better laxative than hot; to a gla.s.sful of cold water add from one teaspoonful to one tablespoonful of the effervescing granules of the phosphate of soda, and take this the first thing on rising in the morning. This preparation of soda is particularly useful because it acts slightly on the liver. Other laxatives are: a seidlitz powder dissolved in a gla.s.s of cold water on rising; a winegla.s.s or more of Hunyadi Janos, also taken on rising.

Any of these may be taken with safety by pregnant women. For children the simplest laxative is one teaspoonful of Husband's milk of magnesia, to be taken in one gla.s.s of water on rising.

Enemas.-- Perhaps one of the most common methods used by the laity for the relief of constipation is the rectal injection, or enema. Enemas habitually given to unload the bowels are productive of much harm by overdistending the r.e.c.t.u.m, so that in time the r.e.c.t.u.m fails to react to the normal stimulus-- namely, the presence of the feces-- as it otherwise would. But by some means or other the bowels must be well moved once every twenty-four hours. And it is much better to use an enema than to go to bed without a bowel movement. If the woman is going around, so that she can give the enema to herself, the most effective way to take it is in the knee-chest position or an approximation to this. Either a fountain or bulb syringe may be used for this purpose; a quart of water at a temperature of 110 F. should be prepared by making it into a suds with castile soap, or one tablespoonful of glycerin may be added to one pint of water. The nozle to be used is the smallest one that comes with the syringe, the so-called infant's nozle; this is quite large enough, and its insertion is not nearly so painful as the larger ones; the nozle must be well greased with vaselin. When everything is ready, the patient gets down on her knees with the shoulders near the floor, having first loosened all of her bands and taken off her corsets; the nozle is introduced as far as it will go into the r.e.c.t.u.m, and if a bulb syringe is used the water must be very gradually squeezed into the r.e.c.t.u.m, otherwise it will not retain so much; or if the fountain syringe is used, it must not be hung too high. So soon as the patient feels that she has taken all that she can retain, she should lie down on the left side, and retain the water as long as possible, as it is thus rendered more effective. An enema so taken will be very much more effective than one taken in the ordinary manner of sitting on the toilet. In the method just described more water can be used and it will be longer retained; it can be felt to go up along the course of the large bowel, and it will often be found very effective when the ordinary enema fails. This enema will often be found to be a very valuable aid in curing an obstinate chronic diarrhea, which is kept up by particles of feces remaining in the folds of the large intestine. If the patient is confined to bed, she should lie on the left side, with a heavy towel folded under her to prevent the bed from becoming wet; when the nurse withdraws the nozle she should make pressure on the a.n.u.s with the towel, to help the patient to retain the water as long as possible.

But should the patient have gone so long without a bowel movement that all these means fail, it will be necessary to precede the water enema with one of oil; or still more effective is the following combination: take one teaspoonful of the spirits of turpentine, the yolk of one egg, and two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, and beat well together, and add to these one pint of water at a temperature of 110 F.

Constipation, however, of so obstinate a character as this demands a physician's attention.

Diarrhea.-- A diarrhea may be acute or chronic; the treatment is essentially different. For an acute attack accompanied by frequent stools and severe abdominal pain the first thing to do is to go to bed. If there is nausea, drink a gla.s.s of water as hot as can be taken, at once; for the diet, a gla.s.s of scalded milk, not boiled but just allowed to come to the boiling-point, every two hours; and nothing else should be taken until the diarrhea is well in check. If the pain is severe, a spice plaster over the abdomen will be found to be very comforting. It is made as follows: take of powdered allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger each two tablespoonfuls, and two teaspoonfuls of cayenne pepper; mix well together in a bowl; then quilt in a piece of flannel large enough to cover the abdomen; when ready for use, dip in hot whisky and apply as hot as the patient can bear; cover over with a large napkin, as the plaster produces a deep stain which does not wash out; keep on as long as necessary. If the rest in bed and the milk diet kept up for twenty-four hours do not suffice to cure the diarrhea, it is not wise to take any risks, but send for your doctor at once. Or if there should be any blood in the stools, do not wait for anything, but send for the doctor without delay.

For a chronic diarrhea an enema given in the knee-chest position, as already described, will often be found a most efficient remedy. In diarrheas the use of fruits and vegetables should be avoided; the best diet after the milk is bread well toasted through, toast-water, soft-boiled eggs, beefsteak, oyster stew, and clam broth.

v.a.g.i.n.al Douche.-- To be of service except for mere cleansing purposes the douche must be taken in the horizontal position, either on a couch or, if it is not cold, on the floor. Of course, this position necessitates the use of a douche-pan. The douche-pan is best of agate-ware, oblong in shape, and with a broad strip which comes under the nates. On lying down to take the douche the nates must come down well over the pan and the clothing must be pushed well up to prevent the water from seeping up the back. To make the woman more comfortable there should be a pillow under the head, and she must have a shawl or some light woolen material to throw over her while taking the douche to prevent chilling; thus doing more harm than good.

There are two forms of syringes on the market: the bag or fountain syringe, which is hung up sufficiently high-- about three feet above the patient-- to cause the water to flow; and the bulb syringe, in which the bulb has to be constantly squeezed by the hand, which is tiresome to many women, but this is a much more convenient form to have in traveling. During pregnancy the fountain syringe only should be used, and it should be hung as low as will enable the water to flow. For a woman who has never taken douches it is well to begin with a temperature of 110 F., gradually increasing the temperature to 118 or 120; this is as high as the woman should attempt to go, for a higher temperature would burn her, leaving the v.u.l.v.a so sensitive that she would only be able to take cool douches for a long time after this; a bath thermometer should be used in all cases to test the temperature, so that the woman knows exactly what she is doing.

In cases of inflammation of the uterus or its adnexa four quarts of water should be used, and the douche should be taken in the horizontal position. The water thus acts as a hot poultice about the uterus, and the woman will find on rising that some water flows out from the v.a.g.i.n.a. Ordinarily plain hot water is all that is necessary to use, but where the discharge is acrid and scalding, the plain hot-water douche should be followed by a warm douche containing one teaspoonful of borax to a pint of water. The best time for taking a douche is at night just before retiring; there is also less danger of taking cold when the douche is taken at this time.

The scalding sensations at the v.u.l.v.a may be due to the acidity of the urine, in which case it will be increased just after urination; or it may be due to an acrid discharge from the v.a.g.i.n.a. A little observation on the part of the patient will enable her to distinguish which is the real cause. If there is any trouble with the urine, it should be carefully examined at once, as some congestion or inflammation of the kidneys is not infrequently present, which if attended to might be cured, and which if allowed to run on unattended to, may develop into a serious form of Bright's disease.

The genitals should be washed with soap and water night and morning.

Women who do not suffer from leuchorrhea need not take a v.a.g.i.n.al douche more than once a week; after the menstrual flow the v.a.g.i.n.al injection is advised to remove the detritus of the flow.

Baths.-- The most ordinary forms of baths used may be cla.s.sified under sponge-, shower-, sitz-, and tub-baths. The sponge-bath as ordinarily taken is of service for cleansing purposes, and if the water be cold it tones up the system to some extent, and is so a preventive against taking cold. The effect of this bath will be found to be vastly more beneficial if salt is added to the bath in the proportion of a pint of salt to a gallon of water; either sea-salt may be used or the ordinary coa.r.s.e salt. It is most advantageously taken sitting in a bath or hat-tub, so that the entire surface of the body will be wet at the same time, and the water can be allowed to run down the back and over the chest. It is well to begin these baths at a temperature of 80 F.

and to gradually decrease this until the bath is taken at 70, which is about the temperature of running water, and the bath should be kept up at this. For most people the best time to take the bath is just before retiring; this bath is not only very strengthening, but also is excellent in cases of insomnia and nervousness.

Shower-baths.-- These may be taken after a hot bath, or taken alone after violent muscular exercise. The body should be quickly scrubbed off and the shower should be warm at the beginning and gradually allowed to become cold, stooping over so as to get the full force of the shower on the spine and over the region of the stomach and heart.

They will be found to be most refres.h.i.+ng after great muscular fatigue, and, when taken after the hot tub-bath, greatly lessen the susceptibility of the individual to taking cold.

Sitz-baths.-- These are given for their local effect in cases of inflammation; whether this inflammation be of the kidneys, bladder, or of the uterus and its adnexa. A sitz-tub is necessary to properly take this form of bath. The water should be used as hot as is comfortable to the patient, from 105 to 110 F., hot water being added as the first cools off; a pint of salt should be added to the gallon of water, and the patient should remain in this from five to eight minutes. A blanket should be wrapped about the patient so that she will be thrown into a perspiration; it is almost needless to say that the only time for taking this bath is just before retiring, and that this bath does make the woman more susceptible to taking cold, so that it is necessary to wear an abdominal woolen bandage day and night.

Tub-baths.-- The tub-bath ought not, as a rule, be taken more than twice a week, unless the cold plunge is used, which may be taken every day. If the tub-bath is taken hot, the woman should remain in it not much longer than is necessary to scrub off with a flesh-brush; this bath should be followed either with a cold shower-bath, or the water in the tub be gradually allowed to cool off until it is down to 70 F.

Headaches.-- Headaches, aside from those of acute illness, may be roughly divided into three cla.s.ses: first, those which are due to indigestion; second, neuralgic headaches; and, third, those due to pelvic inflammations. The headaches due to indigestion are usually located over the eyes and all over the forehead; they are more or less constant and are accompanied by other symptoms of indigestion, and very often by constipation. The feces are allowed to remain in the bowels overlong, the toxic matters are taken up by the blood, and headaches and vertigo result.

Neuralgic headaches are of an entirely different character; the pains are here of a lancinating character, and are not confined to any one region of the head. As a rule, they are accompanied by neuralgic pains in other parts of the body. Neuralgia generally means a rundown state of the system from overwork, worry, or malaria, and tonics and cod-deliver oil are indicated.

A constant dull pain on the top of the head or in the back of the neck generally indicates some uterine inflammation, and can only be cured by removing the cause. In any case it is very evident that taking the various "headache powders" with which the market is flooded will never cure the woman of her headaches; and many of these powders are very dangerous, especially where the heart is weak, as most of them are heart-depressants.

Fainting.-- Fainting may be due to a weak heart, to heart disease, or to sudden shock, as on receiving a bad piece of news; during pregnancy the close air of a room may cause a woman to faint. The first thing to be done is to lay the woman down on the floor or bed with nothing under her head; loosen all her clothes about the neck and waist, and throw the windows open so that she will get plenty of fresh air. If she is able to drink, give her one teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia in four tablespoonfuls of cold water. If the feet are cold, place hot-water bottles to them to improve the circulation. And if at the end of fifteen minutes she does not show signs of decided improvement, give her two tablespoonfuls of whisky in an equal quant.i.ty of hot water. In the meantime the physician will have been summoned. These attacks of fainting often occur in a crowded ball-room, and are due to tight lacing and the poor ventilation of the room.

Hemorrhage.-- A profuse hemorrhage is the most alarming as well as the most dangerous thing which can befall a woman, and the very nearest doctor should be summoned until the family physician can be gotten there. The woman should be made to lie down wherever she may happen to be, her clothes loosened, the windows thrown open, so that she will not only have plenty of fresh air, but that the air shall be cool. If the blood is coming from the mouth, give her pieces of ice to hold in it; if she coughs up the blood, it would be well to put a bag of ice-cold water or cloths wrung out of ice-water on the chest. If the woman is suffering from a uterine hemorrhage, have her take at once a hot v.a.g.i.n.al douche, from 118 to 120 F., and have the foot of the bed raised. The head should always be kept low.

Women hold their health in their own hands to a far greater extent than they have ever dreamed of; and if the majority of women suffer, it is very often their own fault, either because they have disregarded nearly every law of health, or have allowed trivial ailments to go on until they were almost incurable.

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"The broad mountain-top, with its sunlight and free air, is possible to all of us, if we choose to struggle on and reach it."

-- Phillips Brooks.

GLOSSARY.

Abortion. The expulsion of the fetus before the end of the third lunar month.

Afferent Nerves. Those nerves which convey the impressions to the nerve-centers.

After-pains. The pains which follow labor and which are caused by the contractions of the uterus.

Amenorrhea. Absence of the menstrual flow.

Anemia. The so-called thinness of the blood, due to a deficiency of red blood-corpuscles.

Antisepsis. The use of chemical substances which have the power of destroying germs.

a.n.u.s. The external circular outlet of the r.e.c.t.u.m or distal part of the large intestine.

Appendages, Uterine. The Fallopian tubes, the ligaments of the uterus, and the ovaries.

Atrophy. A progressive diminution in the bulk of an organ or tissue.

Automatic. Involuntary, mechanical.

Bulbi Vestibuli. A plexus of veins on each side of the vestibule.

Capillaries. The terminal and very finest branches of the blood-vessels.

Catamenial Flow. See Menstruation.

Cellular Tissue. A loose, transparent tissue which surrounds the muscles and organs of the body.

Cerebrum. The upper and larger portion of the brain.

Chlorosis. Anemia of young women about the time of p.u.b.erty.

Climacteric. See Menopause.

c.l.i.toris. A small, elongated, erectile organ situated at the upper part of the v.u.l.v.a.

Cohabitation. See Coitus.

Coition. See Coitus.

Coitus. Syn., coition, copulation, cohabitation, s.e.xual congress, s.e.xual intercourse. The carnal union of the s.e.xes.

Colostrum. A thin alb.u.minous fluid which appears in the b.r.e.a.s.t.s at the fourth month of pregnancy.

Conception, or impregnation, is the union of the germ and sperm cell which results in a new being.