LIBERATING THE WATER.
Some persons who find no trouble at all in taking a large quantity of water have much difficulty in expelling it, or rather in expelling all of it at once. Various methods may be resorted to to liberate the retained water. One is to inject a little more, as a provoker, when all will escape without further difficulty. Another method is to resort to various motions of the arms and body. Some find relief by raising and projecting both arms together slowly, and then stretching and holding them aloft for a few moments. Other methods are: to twist the trunk a few times, to walk up and down a little, to bend forward and backward, etc. Still another method is to massage the abdominal walls, beginning at the ascending colon (see Fig. [12]), passing upward to the left along the transverse colon, and then downward until the lower portion of the sigmoid flexure is reached. When beginning the massage, one should use stroking movements from right to left over the entire surface, and then go over it again with rotary strokes. Some may find it advantageous to knead the abdominal muscles, gradually reaching the deeper parts as the air is expelled from the lungs, which expulsion may change the position of the various segments of the intestine and thus afford an opportunity for the feces, gases, and water to escape. Before rising in the morning and retiring at night, it will be found advantageous by some persons to spend about ten minutes in making the three kinds of manipulations described. It is an excellent practice for every one to lie flat on the chest and abdomen and draw in several deep breaths just before rising. This exercise will strengthen the muscles of those parts and benefit the internal organs as well.