What to eat and when

by Susanna Cocroft

The chemical action of the undigested and fermenting substances in the digestive tract irritates the nerves and may cause the spasm of the muscles. Digestive derangements will often cause the onset of an attack of asthma in those afflicted with this disorder.

The correction of the conditions in the stomach and intestinal tract will often ameliorate the attacks. Care must be taken not to overload the stomach and intestines, to eat easily digested foods which agree in the particular case. All food found to cause any digestive disturbance should be avoided.

Constipation must be remedied by gentle exercises and massage of the abdomen as free elimination removes material which might aid in inciting an attack.

Many asthmatics are comparatively comfortable during the day, the attacks coming on toward evening or during the night. In this case, the evening meal should be light and easily digested, the heavy meal being taken at noon.

Hot stuffy rooms increase the disorder and plenty of fresh air should be secured both by night and by day.

Many of these individuals make no exertion, fearing to bring on an attack.

Exercise, particularly of the lungs in breathing, should be gradual at first and be increased as improvement is shown. Exercises directed to expansion of the deeper cells of the lungs and to equalize the circulation throughout the entire system will call the excess of blood from the bronchial tubes and in many cases will cause the difficulty to disappear. A forceful, equalized circulation, with regulation of digestion, will do more for asthma than any known agency.

Tuberculosis

Derangements in digestion, common in this affection, are due to several conditions.

The increased temperature is caused by the efforts of the system to counteract the poisons produced by the action of the bacillus. The increase in temperature in the stomach lessens the secretions and the peristaltic action, causing the food to ferment and to be vomited or to pass practically undigested into the intestine, thus throwing an excess of work on the intestinal secretions.