CANCER

THE incidence of cancer varies from country to country. America had 365,000 cancer deaths in 1975. It is estimated that there are 1000 cancer deaths every day in America, one every 90 seconds. Statistics show that one out of every four Americans alive today will suffer from some form of cancer or the other. One out of six people will die of it. Statistical data available on the

subject shows that despite the money and the technology very little headway has been made since the diagnosis of the disease. Today, the figure is 35 per cent which means we have progressed 10 per cent in a little over 40 years. A great part of this 10 per cent is due to early detection programmes and vastly improved surgical procedures, which leaves a minimal margin for cancer.

Cancer is an erratic uncontrolled growth of body cells. The control mechanism fails and so the cells run wild and do not stop multiplying. This can be likened to weeds in a well-kept garden which get out of control and outgrow and kill the flowers. Eventually, if the weeds are not removed, the whole garden may be destroyed.

NERVOUS DISORDERS

The factors that cause nervous disorders are many; some diseases may be induced by a particular temperament or a way of life.

Nervous disorders sometimes give rise to physical discomfort and actual disease. An example is the dyspepsia of nervous origin. The digestive system may be all right, but extreme worry may hamper the functioning of digestive organs. Tension, as is well recognized, gives rise to tachycardia (palpitation) and hypertension.

Some of the more common nervous disorders for which home remedies are effective are vertigo and insomnia.

VERTIGO

Vertigo or giddiness is a condition of the body in which the sufferer loses the power to balance himself; there is a sensation of. Whirling. He feels that he is going to fall and has to support himself while walking.

Giddiness may be caused by many factors like a disturbance in the balance of the fluids in the inner ear, blood pressure, some disorders of digestion, migraine, a mild attack of epilepsy or a disease of the brain. Before we can deal with a case of vertigo we must be sure of the causative factors involved.

If the patient is suffering from constipation, the condition should be dealt with by the administration of a mild laxative. If vertigo can be traced to general debility of the system, a nutritious diet should be recommended. The patient must take lots of milk, eggs, and butter.

INSOMNIA

Sleeplessness or insomnia is a very annoying condition which interferes with a person’s activities during the day because he fails to get natural sleep. If it becomes chronic it may pose a serious problem to the health of the sufferer.

Unless there are any physical disorders accompanying insomnia, it is of a nervous origin. Some people with a nervous temperament may be unable to sleep because of some minor worry.

The treatment of insomnia must depend upon a correct diagnosis and removal of its cause.

An insomniac must avoid worry and tension and should keep his bowels clear. He should also, depending upon the state of his physique, take vigorous exercise to tire himself. Sleeping without a pillow also helps.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 24, 1987