Blood and iron health care

There is much talk these days about "iron-poor" blood. You will recall that it is hemoglobin-a combination of protein and iron-which carries oxygen. When the number of red cells in the blood is not adequate or the cells do not contain adequate amounts of hemoglobin, the body is not able to get its proper supply of oxygen. Without the oxygen, the muscles and other tissues are not able to burn all their supplies of fuel. The body is unable to get sufficient energy. The condition is called anemia. If anemia is the result of inadequate hemoglobin, the problem may be overcome by good diet-and may be avoided the same way. As noted previously, foods rich in iron include meats, particularly liver, heart, and kidneys; also leafy green vegetables; enriched bread and cereal; egg yolk; potatoes; oysters; dried fruits; peas; beans.

And since hemoglobin also contains protein, good-quality protein foods in the diet help. It should be emphasized, too, that there are other types of anemia and other possible causes. And if you feel unduly fatigued and suspect that you have anemia, don't guess that it may be for lack of enough iron or enough protein or anything else. Find out-let your physician test to determine-exactly what, if any, kind of anemia it is and what should be done about it. There are certain diseases that are great enemies of the heart and circulatory system. They include high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, rheumatic f ever, hardening of the arteries, diabetes, nephritis, and syphilis.  

How to Guard your heart?

You can guard your heart, too, by avoiding obesity and, if now over- weight, by sensible reducing. If you are overweight, your heart has to work harder routinely, day in and day out, minute after minute. Take your heart seriously-but don't worry about it. If this sounds contradictory, it is really not. Fear can injure the heart; and too many people are more afraid ~f heart trouble than of anything else. Because of their fear and anxiety, they may actually be contributing to the development of heart trouble. Not worrying about your heart simply means this: Have your heart examined at regular intervals by your physician.

If he says your heart is sound, get your mind off it and on to other advice he may have for you on proper nutrition and exercise. We should like to emphasize very strongly here that only a physician can tell whether or not there is really anything wrong with the heart. Pounding of the heart (palpitation) can be alarming, but it is more likely to be caused by nervousness than by a serious organic condition. When your heart suddenly seems to "flop over" in your chest, you may be frightened, but needlessly, for the phenomenon often is due to nothing more than the fact that you have been smoking too many cigarettes or drinking too much coffee. Between medical checkups, you can help yourself and your physician keep your heart in good shape by avoidance of excessive smoking.

 If you must smoke (see the chapter on that subject), cut down as much as possible or, preferably, switch to a pipe or mild cigar. Good diet, with regular spacing of relatively small meals, helps the heart to work at its best, and, as noted in the chapter on nutrition, there is evidence that sound diet may well reduce the likelihood of clogging of the arteries feeding the heart. Good diet also can reduce the likelihood of arterial damage elsewhere in the body, helping to maintain the integrity of the whole circulatory system. Keep your work and social life under reasonable control so that you are not chronically fatigued. If you feel tense and "driven" in our competitive world, talk to your physician. He may have advice that will be helpful; he may suggest little patterns of physical activity to be used at particularly tense moments to reduce the tension; if necessary, he may prescribe medication that may help tide you over a tense period; he may, if advisable, have you talk with a psychotherapist. You may be able, by any or all of these measures, to reduce nervous tension to the point where you can avoid trouble with your heart in later life.

Heart and Blood circulatory system protective care

 PROTECTIVE CARE There is much you can do to guard the health of your heart and circulatory system. Contrary to what many people believe, the heart is a tough rather than delicate organ. Surgeons have successfully closed stab and other wounds of the heart; they have repaired the valves within the heart and corrected malformations. Protected by the tough ribs, the over- lying lungs, and its own surrounding membrane, the heart is rarely dam- aged by a blow. This fact should be reassuring to parents of football players, boxers, and other athletes. Guarding the health of the heart does not mean trying unduly to spare it.

Heart that a practice now accepted as a safeguard-a gradual return, after an actual heart attack, to active, even strenuous exercise-would, only a decade ago, have been considered medical malpractice if a doctor had prescribed it. Today, many cardiologists advise patients after heart attacks to get moving-to begin slowly, with extreme caution, gradually increasing their activity. With a gradual, well-tailored, well-supervised program, there is little or no danger of overstraining the heart. Many ex-heart cripples now are even playing strenuous games such as handball. It is now realized that such slow, gradual, progressive physical training can help the heart develop an increased network of blood-supplying vessels, sometimes a greater network than it may have had before the heart attack, and there is increasing evidence that such training may substantially reduce the risk of another attack. However, there are limits to the amount of strain that should be placed on a middle-aged, old, or damaged heart, particularly sudden strain. If you have been leading a sedentary existence, and now, wisely, you decide you need to increase your physical activity and overall physical fitness, you should by all means check with your physician first and, with his guidance, based on the health of your heart and whole circulatory system, map out a program which will lead gradually to your goal. 

Blood How it works on body care?

BLOOD

Blood, the body's transport medium, consists of about equal parts of a watery fluid called plasma and a mixture of red cells, white cells, and platelets. The red cells give blood its color and there are some 25 trillion of them. Each lasts about four months, wearing out and breaking up. And new cells to replace the old are produced in the bone marrow at a rate of about one million a second. The red color of the cells comes from hemoglobin, a combination of protein and an iron pigment. It is the hemoglobin that actually carries oxygen from the lungs to the capillaries and then carries carbon dioxide to the lungs, where it is exhaled.

Hemoglobin is a substance with an ability to hold very large quantities of oxygen. If it didn't exist, and if oxygen had to be dissolved in blood plasma, the body would require 300 quarts of blood instead of 5. White cells are less numerous than red but still there are 20 to 50 billion of them. Typically, in a pinprick of blood there may be some 10,000 white cells and as many as 5 million red cells. There are several kinds of white cells. One type, the granular leukocyte, is produced in the bone marrow along with red cells. Another, the lymphocyte, is produced in the lymph nodes, tonsils, and adenoids. White cells have an important role in the body's defense against invasive bacteria. Unlike the red cells, the white ones can move. They usually move along the sides of blood vessels rather than being pushed along with the red cells in the middle. They move by pushing out part of themselves ahead, then sliding the rest into the advanced area.

They can flow around and engulf bacteria. The battle, however, is not all one-sided. White cells can be destroyed by bacterial poisons, and pus is an accumulation of dead white cells and bacteria. But while bacteria sometimes can overwhelm the white cells, much more often the outcome is the other way, and most bacterial invasions (and they occur almost constantly) are repulsed. The blood platelets, which are smaller than the red cells, help blood to coagulate or clot. They collect at the site where a blood vessel is cut or otherwise injured, and they produce tiny fibrin threads, which lead to clot formation, helping to minimize blood loss. Plasma, which constitutes about half of whole blood, and is the part without cells, is itself about 91 percent water.

The remainder is made up of such minerals as sodium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, plus fats, sugars, plasma proteins, and antibodies. Antibodies are another part of the body's defense mechanism. Micro- organisms entering the body stimulate the production of antibodies which then, in very specific fashion, lock on to and incapacitate them. And it is by causing the body to produce antibodies specific against a particular disease organism that vaccines work. After use of a vaccine, the antibodies are in the plasma, ready and waiting to attack immediately if the disease organism should appear.

Heart and blood circualtory system

 THE HEART'S OWN SUPPLY The heart, being a muscle, and a hard-working one, needs nutritious blood. And nature has seen to it that it gets it by special means. The heart's special system begins at the aorta, from which branch off two arteries, the coronaries, each about the size of a thick knitting needle. One enters the heart muscle on the right side; the other, on the left. And the two together form a kind of wreath about the heart. The coronaries divide and divide to feed every part of the heart muscle. And after the blood has deposited its oxygen supply and picked up waste, it is carried by a system of veins to the right atrium to be passed, along with blood returning from other parts of the body, to the lungs. As we have noted, the heart has remarkable ability to adapt to demands of the body-to beat faster, contract more completely, and thus pump much more blood when necessary.

 In turn, the coronary circulation has remarkable ability to adapt to the heart's needs when they increase. When the heart must work harder, it needs more nourishment -and the coronary circulation accommodates. Ordinarily, the coronary arteries take only a small fraction of the blood moving through the aorta. But when the heart is working harder, the arteries will take more, even up to half of the total flow through the aorta. An unusual feature of the coronary circulation is the presence of extra capillaries, many of which form connections between the two coronary arteries. These extra tiny vessels lie unused and empty except when you are exerting yourself to the point of putting bigger demands on the heart. Then they go to work to bring more blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. These same capillaries help, too, if some of the regular blood channels no longer function effectively because of disease. Then the spare capillaries go into regular use as substitute pathways. There is another safeguard in the fact that each coronary artery doesn't supply only its own side of the heart.

Branches extend over to the other side so that many heart areas have blood supplied from both coronary arteries. Thus, if one of these vital vessels should become dis- eased and narrowed, all is not necessarily lost.

Blood circulation and body anatomy

 By the time blood reaches the capillaries, its speed-originally 15 inches a second in the aorta-has slowed to about one fiftieth of an inch a second. The capillaries are so tiny that red blood cells have to move through them in single file-and the red cells are so small that you could cover four or five dozen of them with a single period, such as the one right here. But small as the capillaries are, the capillary system is so extensive- many thousands of miles, all told-that if all the capillaries were open to the flow of blood at any one time, they could hold the entire five-quart supply of the body. This is where the adaptability of the circulatory system comes in. All the capillaries are never open at one time.

They open and close, first in one area, then in another, depending upon need. When, for example, you are exercising vigorously, the muscles need more blood. The heart responds; from over a gallon of blood per minute, it can pump as much as five and a half gallons a minute. And much of this flow now goes to the muscles which need it, diverted from other organs which do not have such pressing need at the moment. In times of extreme exertion, even though the heart is pumping only five times as much blood, the muscles may receive eighteen times as much, as the capillaries in various organs shut down to allow diversion.

The digestive system, for example, will get only one fifth of its normal supply during extreme exertion. Blood flow to the muscles goes up from about two pints a minute to about forty. At rest, the muscles ordinarily get about 20 percent of the heart's output; with extreme exertion, they may get as much as 88 percent. It is only from the brain that blood is never diverted this way. The brain gets its required one and a third pints a minute whether the body is at rest or furiously active.

Pulse blood system blood distribution blood pressure

THE PULSE You have undoubtedly noted physicians-and perhaps you have done the same yourself-place a finger on the radial artery ,It the wrist to "take" the pulse. The pulse is caused by the impart of blood on the arteries as the heart beats. It provides useful information about the strength and regularity of blood flow. Generally, for a person in good health, the pulse may speed up from around 70 a minute to more than 120 after vigorous exercise, but then, within three minutes, should return to the original value. There may be some quite normal deviations from average beat, deviations too from the beat with vigorous exercise, and deviations from the average interval required for return to the pre-exercise rate. If you have any doubt in your own case, you should check with your physician.

BLOOD PRESSURE Blood pressure is the force exerted against the walls of arteries as blood flows through. With each contraction of the ventricles, which is called a systole, there is a spurt of blood and this increases blood pressure. During the art of the cycle when the ventricles are not contracting, called the diastole, the pressure decreases. Thus, there is always pressure of blood, highest during systole and called the systolic pressure, lowest during diastole and called diastolic pressure. These pressures can be readily measured with an instrument, the sphygmomanometer (see page 24). And, as the discussion under high blood pressure indicates (page 596), measurement of pressure is an important means of determining the health of the heart and circulatory system.

BLOOD DISTRIBUTION The circulation of blood-so often dismissed as "blood from the heart into the arteries, to the tissues, then back to the heart through the veins" -is, in the human body, a really intricate and marvelous process. For it is remarkably adaptable. When blood moves from the heart into the aorta, it is at a speed of about 15 inches a second. Almost immediately, distribution around the body begins through arteries branching off from the aorta. From the smallest arteries, even smaller vessels called arterioles branch out. From the arterioles, blood flows to the smallest of all vessels, the capillaries. The capillaries transport blood to individual cells; and through microscopic spaces in the capillary walls, oxygen and other supplies are diffused to the cells and, in return, waste materials move into the blood- stream. The capillaries connect with venules, tiny vessels of the venous return system, which run into veins. The veins carry the blood to the great venae cavae, large vessels which empty into the right atrium of the heart.  

Heart Problem heart foundation heart beat

 The atrium and ventricle on the right are separated from their counterparts on the left by a wall of muscle, called a septum. Into the right atrium comes "used" blood returning from coursing through the body, during which trip it has given up its oxygen to body cells in exchange for cell wastes. It now needs freshening and it flows from the atrium through a valve into the right ventricle. The valve, the tricuspid, is there to prevent blood from being pushed back into the atrium when the ventricle contracts. The contraction of the ventricle pushes the bluish "used" blood into the pulmonary artery toward the lungs. 

Thus the right side of the heart is a pump devoted to moving blood toward the lungs for oxygenation. When the blood, freshened in the lungs, returns through the pulmonary veins to the heart it enters the left atrium. From here it goes, through the mitral valve, to the left ventricle. And it is the contraction of the left ventricle that sends a surge of fresh blood into the aorta, the great artery which comes out of the heart and from which branches run to all parts of the body. Valves to prevent backward flow of blood are also located where the aorta and pulmonary artery emerge from the heart.

 THE HEARTBEAT 

The beat of the heart-on the average, 72 times a minute--starts in a knot of tissue called the sinoatrial node located in the atria. The node contains nerve cells and fibers and muscle cells and is called the heart's pacemaker because it gives rise to the impulse, or spark that starts a wave of contraction. The wave spreads over the muscle of the atria and, upon reaching another node near the junction of atria and ventricles, produces an impulse which leads to contraction of the ventricles. 

As already noted, the heart does not lie entirely on the left side, de- spite a popular notion to that effect. Rather it is near the midline with about one third of its bulk on the right and two thirds on the left. The flatter base of the heart faces backward, and the sharper apex faces out and downward. It is the apex that reaches to the left, and because it pulses with each beat; the heart appears to be centered at that spot rather than stretching toward it. 

Blood and circulatory system

 THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM \ ALL LIVING cells of the body must have a supply of fuel, water, and oxy- gen brought to them and must have their waste products removed. This is the function of the remarkable circulatory system, consisting of the heart and a vast network of blood vessels. In recent years, much knowledge has been acquired about the functioning of the human heart and circulatory system and about factors critical for the health and welfare of the system. There have been significant developments in the area of prevention of disturbances, and there are many measures which you can take quite readily.

THE HEART weighing less than a pound when full grown and only a little larger than your fist, the human heart ranks as perhaps the world's most fantastic machine. Despite its small size, it beats an average of 72 times a minute, 100,000 times a day, nearly 40 million times a year. Each day it pumps the equivalent of some 5,500 quarts of blood weighing 6 tons through more than 60,000 miles of the circulatory system. The work done by the heart is comparable to the effort you would have to expend to lift a ten- pound weight three feet off the ground twice a minute for the whole of your life. A hollow organ, the heart perches in the front part of the chest, under the breastbone in the center, with its apex pointed to the left. It has a muscular wall, the myocardium, which is surrounded by a fiber like bag, the' pericardium, and is lined by a strong, thin membrane, the endo  heart is actually ,I double pump,  our chambers two at the top called atria and two at the bottom called ventricles.

Common Muscle problems and Specific Muscle Problems and cure

COMMON MUSCLE PROBLEMS Almost everyone has experienced a painful muscle cramp or II charley horse." When a muscle is exercised too violently, especially one that has had relatively little use, it may react by going into painful cramp. It contracts-and does not relax. A charley horse will clear up if the involved muscle is rested. Warm baths will help. Two tablets of aspirin by mouth every four hours will also be useful in relieving the pain. Muscle twitching’s can stem from varied causes, usually minor, such as temporary fatigue, overwork of a group of muscles, nervousness, or insomnia.

 If the twitches, become  frequent or painful and/or if they involve the face, and produce grimaces? you should  discuss them with your physician without delay. Consult your physician, too, if you experience frequent or painful muscle cramps, especially cramps at night, which sometimes wake people from sleep as they produce intense pain in the calf of the leg or elsewhere. The most common muscle injury is strain, caused by the overworking of muscles. This is the type of muscle soreness that may follow a long bicycle ride or an afternoon of working in the garden, become sore and the tendons ache. Usually, no real damage is done and a warm bath and good rest will provide relief.

OTHER MUSCLE PROBLEMS Muscles may be affected by various diseases. Some are intrinsic ailments of the muscles themselves, such as muscular dystrophy. Muscles waste away if the nerves connecting them with the brain are damaged, as happens in polio and other afflictions of the nerves and spinal cord. If a stroke damages a part of the brain controlling an arm or leg, then the muscles of the limb may atrophy from disuse. Similarly, in severe diseases of the joints or bones, there may be inability to move a limb, which then causes secondary wasting of the muscles. These problems are discussed in connection with various diseases in later sections of this book.  

A good exercise program for muscle activity

When you are at rest all the muscles of the body use only about one thirtieth of the oxygen they can use during maximum effort. With a well-rounded exercise program, they can be made to use much more. When they do, the heart will respond, pumping harder to get more oxygen-carrying blood into circulation, and over a period of time, heart pumping efficiency will increase; the heart will pump more blood with each stroke. At the same time, lung capacity-much of it never used in sedentary living-will enlarge to absorb and feed more oxygen into the blood- stream. The higher oxygen content will aid muscle as circulation improves in both quality and body; the capillaries penetrating into muscles will open and become more effective.

A good exercise program also will help to strengthen the muscles around the veins in the lower part of the body, and this is of considerable importance. When you stand, the veins in the legs expand and there may be a tendency for them to become distended with blood which pools in them 50 that less blood is available for circulation through the rest of the body. As less blood returns to the heart from the veins in the lower part of the body, the heart, with less blood to eject with each beat, tries to compensate by increasing its beat rate. But this is not always effective and does impose added stress on the heart. The amount of blood that can pool in the lower veins depends considerably on the amount of pressure by the muscle tissues around the veins. If the tissues are tight and firm, the expansion of the veins is limited.

Soft muscles without tone do not provide much external support to the veins to prevent their expansion. Thus, a good program of exercise can have many admirable effects throughout the body-in terms of health of heart, lungs, muscles, blood vessels. We suggest that you read, in connection with this discussion, the contents of Chapter 8 on exercise.

A word here about nutrition; It, too, is vital in the proper care of muscles. A good diet containing the sources of protein described in Chapter 6 will help you build and maintain strong, healthy muscles. 

Muscle care and Fatigue

MUSCLE CARE

The voluntary muscles are the only ones that require your everyday care. Muscles remain in good condition only when they are used. If they fall The Muscles / 195 into complete disuse, they atrophy or waste away. Short of this, if they are used relatively little, they lose strength and vigor and their tone diminishes. Healthy vigorous muscles are important for many reasons: for good posture, graceful movement, and a sense of well-being. The spring in the step of a healthy vigorous man isn't simply a matter of well-developed muscles, but of the contribution that good muscular health makes to overall body health and even to mental outlook. Also, strong muscles protect the bones, joints, and internal organs more effectively against injury. In our increasingly sedentary way of life, unless we resort to special measures, our muscles are victimized by disuse.

Actually, when muscles are not used, they have relatively little need for blood and nourishment; and as a result most of the capillaries, the tiniest blood vessels which supply them, collapse and remain collapsed, out of business most of the time. The greater the activity of muscles, the more the capillaries opens up and, in fact, the more capillaries may be developed by the body to supply the need. With sedentary living, there is little demand. One famed experiment by Dr. Hardin Jones of the University of California has shown that the average sedentary American man is, in terms of muscle circulation, middle-aged by the time he is 26.

Using Geiger counter tests to follow blood flow through muscles in teen-agers and in 500 industrial workers, Dr. Jones established that between the ages of 18 and 25, the flow drops 40 percent; by the age of 35, it is down 60 percent, at which point, in the sense of physical vigor, the average sedentary man is less than half the man he used to be. Because of our sedentary living, deliberate exercise is essential-and this applies to all of us, women and children as well as men. The objective of the exercise should not be the development of big muscles, for muscle size is not a true measure of fitness. A well-founded exercise program should aim at strengthening muscles and also the circulatory system in the interest of endurance-the ability to sustain activity and keep going without quick fatigue. 

muscle anatomy muscle activity

Muscle Power

Among the many additional muscles are those of expression-small bundles of fibers around the eyes, mouth, and nose which we use to look angry or surprised, to wink, sneer, smile, frown. In the gastrointestinal system, there are voluntary muscles at the top, in the upper part of the esophagus. But in the walls of the lower esophagus as well as most of the stomach and intestines are involuntary muscles that help push food along. Actually, there are two layers of such muscles which work in concert: one, a circular layer, contracts to narrow the gastrointestinal tract; the other, longitudinal, and contracts to widen the tract again and make way for further narrowing.

Between the esophagus and the stomach, and at other points in the digestive tract, are thick muscular rings, called sphincters, which contract at intervals and can remain contracted for extended periods if necessary to regulate the flow of food and liquid. MUSCLE TONE Imagine for a moment that you have a rope fastened to a small wagon. In effect, the rope is a tendon and the wagon is a movable bone. If you pull on the rope, the wagon will move toward you. But if the rope is lying slack on the ground, you first must pull it tight before the wagon can begin to move. If the rope is kept taut, the wagon will move as soon as you pull. Most voluntary muscles of the body keep their ropes tight, so to speak. They are partly contracted at all times. Rarely, for example, does the jaw sag, and you can hold your head and shoulders erect for hours without fatigue. This ability to maintain partial contraction is muscle tone. Tone may be maintained, and the muscles prevented from becoming slack and deteriorated, by regular exercise and proper nutrition.

Major Muscles and muslce power

Since muscle fibers exert pull when they contract, they use energy. The energy comes from food supplied to them through the blood. A muscle works by converting chemical energy into mechanical energy. Actually, only about one fourth of the chemical energy is converted properly into mechanical energy; the remaining three fourths is lost as heat, raising the temperature of anyone doing strenuous work. This efficiency of 25 percent is similar to that of an automobile engine, which also loses much of its energy as heat. There have been calculations which suggest that the maximum energy output for man is about 6 horsepower and that as much as 0.5 horse- power output can be sustained almost indefinitely.

SOME MAJOR MUSCLES Skeletal muscles are of many shapes and sizes suited to their particular jobs-and they have many jobs. The sternomastoid muscles, which are on either side of the head, serve two purposes. When you nod your head, it is because both of the sternomastoid muscles contract simultaneously. You turn your head to one side or the other depending upon which of the two you contract. Among muscles at the shoulder are the trapezius, which shrugs the shoulder when it contracts, and the pectoralis major, which spreads over the chest and attaches to the humerus and helps sweep the arm across the chest. On the forearm are muscles that divide into tendons extending down to the fingertips; they help move the fingers.

 Among the big muscles of the lower extremity are the gluteal muscles on the buttocks, which, with their contraction, move you from sitting to standing position and are involved in walking; the sartorius, in the thigh, the longest muscle in the body, which pulls the thigh into cross-legged position; the quadriceps in the thigh used [or balance during standing and for kicking; and the gastrocnemius and solt'us in the calf which enable you to stand on tiptoe and provide from the ground for walking, running, dancing. Along each side of the spinal column maintain an erect posture, to bend the body, and to help turn it to one side or the other. Inside the body is the major muscle for breathing, the diaphragm, which is attached through tendons to the spinal column, ribs, and lower tip of the breastbone. The contraction of the diaphragm helps fill the lungs with air. And the diaphragm, incidentally, is also used in laughing, sneezing, and coughing. Its spasmodic contractions occasionally produce hiccupping. 

TYPES OF MUSCLES Muscle Fibers

TYPES OF MUSCLES 

Each muscle is made up of a bundle of fibers, each of which is about the size of a hair and capable of supporting 1,000 times its own weight. All told, there is something more than 6 trillion fibers in the muscles throughout the body. There are three types of muscle tissue. One, when viewed under a microscope, has dark and light bands across the fibers, and is known as striped muscle. It is also called skeletal muscle because it is attached to some part of the skeleton. And it is classed as voluntary muscle because it is under the control of the conscious part of the brain. This is the type of muscle used to walk, write, lift, and throw to perform any movement we actually will to be done.

A second type of muscle, called smooth or involuntary, lacks the dark and light bands. This type of muscle handles the functions of all internal organs except the heart. It is involved in the vital movements of the stomach and intestine, for example. It is called involuntary since we do not have direct control over its action. Its workings are automatic, freeing us from concern over it, allowing us opportunity to concentrate on other matters. The third type of muscle that of the heart is called cardiac. It is striped like the voluntary type but has no sheaths as the voluntary does. It, too, is involuntary.

Muscle fibers vary considerably in length, from as little as 0.04 inch or even less to 1.5 inch or more. The diameter, of course, is very small, as little as 0.004 inch or even less. When a muscle contracts, it becomes shorter by as much as one third to one half, and as it shortens, it thickens. Most skeletal muscles are linked to a bone either at one end or at both ends. The tendons, or sinews, which do the linking, vary considerably in size, ranging up to more than a foot in length. Ligaments, like the tendons, are made up of strong fibrous tissue, but their function is to bind bones together. Tendons join muscle to bone; ligaments join bone to bone. Ligament fibers stretch. Tendons are so strong that a bone may break before the tendon attached to it gives way. When muscles join bones, one of the bones usually functions as an anchor to help move the other bone.

The point where the muscle attaches to the anchor bone is known as the point of origin. The attachment to the bone that does the moving is called the insertion. Before a muscle can contract, it must receive a contract signal. In the case of voluntary muscles, the signal comes from the brain via the central nervous system and is relayed' instantly through tiny nerves that reach each of the fibers involved. Involuntary muscles get their signals from the autonomic nervous sys- tem, which is concerned with the regulation of body functions that do not have to be under conscious control. To be sure, even in the case of voluntary muscles, you are not required to give a direct order-to take the time to stop and think and issue a command for a particular muscle to contract. You simply decide to bend an elbow, move a finger, throw a ball-and the brain and nervous system translate the decision into orders which go to the proper muscle fibers. 

THE MUSCLES BONES

THE MUSCLES BONES 

FORM the framework; joints permit movement; and it is the muscles that do the moving when they pull on bones. The hundreds of voluntary muscles in the body weigh two and one-half times as much as all the bones together. They constitute the flesh that gives the body its basic shape. An understanding of muscles and how they function is very much worth having, since it can help you to use your muscles most effectively, prevent injuries to them, and prevent progressive deterioration if an injury should occur. As noted in the preceding chapter, good muscle tone is an important element in preventing skeletal problems, and as we will point out in this chapter, tone is also important in maintaining good circulatory function. Muscles always work by pulling, never by pushing.

Muscle fibers contract and as they do so the muscle pulls a bone toward it. The body is so engineered that where one muscle acts to pull a bone in one direction, there is another muscle that can be contracted to pull the bone in the opposite direction. Thus, for example, the bulge that can be felt in the front of the upper arm when the lower arm is drawn up is the body of the biceps muscle. The mate to the biceps, called the triceps, lies on the opposite side of the arm and when this muscle contracts it straightens the elbow and stretches the biceps into position for another contraction.

 Muscle tissue is formed before birth, and a baby's supply of muscle fibers is his supply for life. The fibers, of course, grow as the child grows. Strength develops as the fibers do their work of contracting. The arms of a blacksmith, prizefighter, or weightlifter contain about the same number of fibers as do those of a little girl but are much stronger and thicker through use.  

Bone joints, ligaments and Bursas

JOINTS, LIGAMENTS, AND BURSAS Joints and ligaments connect bones to each other. At the ends of bones are smooth, gliding joint surfaces which make possible easy, painless movement. A joint consists of a fibrous sheath attached to the smooth ends of the bones. Nature also provides, for the ends of those bones that take part in body movements, a special material, cartilage, which has a resiliency and smoothness that enable fingers, arms, and legs to move many thousands of times daily without making us conscious of their activities. To bind bones together and strengthen the joints, there is a special type of tough "binding cord" called tendon. Tendons are so firmly attached to the bones that only an exceptional strain will tear them away.

A final element in the smooth, effective movement of joints is the bursa. This is a sac or bag with smooth surfaces which contains a small amount of lubricating material. Everyday care of the joints, ligaments and bursas is important. An injured joint, torn ligament, or inflamed bursa-as anyone who has ever suffered one knows-can interfere seriously with enjoyment of life and may ~en be incapacitating. It's essential that you work with, not against, nature so you impose no extra stress on joints, ligaments, and bursas. For one thing, that means maintenance of normal weight; gross over- weight overloads the joints of knees and feet every time you stand or walk.

Good posture also is important for keeping joints in good condition, distributing weight as nature engineered the body to handle it. And good physical condition, which helps to assure good muscle tone, helps to avoid undue strain. We suggest that, in connection with proper care of joints, ligaments, and bursas, you read sections of this book dealing with posture and exercise (page 80) and weight reduction (page 59) if you are over- weight. Everyone should know the proper technique for lifting objects -by bending the knees and bringing into play the leg muscles to help with the lifting rather than relying entirely upon the muscles of the back.

There are many injuries and diseases that can affect the bones, joints, ligaments, and bursas. These are discussed later in this book-e.g., arthritis and rheumatism, fractures, backaches, bursitis, bone diseases. 

How to care for the bones

CARE OF THE BONES In addition to the measures just mentioned to help protect the spinal disks, and precautions against accidents, proper nutrition is extremely important for bone health. Vitamin D is essential for bone production, and other vitamins are required to nourish the bone marrow. These are to be obtained in a balanced diet. Calcium, too, is vital. Most of the calcium in the body is in the bones, but calcium is also needed for muscle contraction, for heartbeat, and for blood clotting. In a remark- able automatic process, when the amount of calcium immediately avail- able for the heart and other parts of the body falls below a certain level, some of the calcium from bone is carried by the blood to these areas.

This is normal and healthy, but it underscores the need for adequate intake of calcium to maintain the bone stores. Milk contains plentiful amounts of calcium, which is one reason why it is such a basic item in the diet of growing children and in pregnant and nursing mothers. All through life there is need for adequate calcium intake, and this can be assured by a balanced diet. Calcium is contained in many food items. It is plentiful in dairy foods such as cheeses and in skim or fat-free as well as whole milk. After the menopause, bones in women need special care.   

Bones and disks

THE DISKS The spinal disks absorb the impact of body weight and movements. Normally, they serve as efficient shock absorbers for a long lifetime. But some of us give them more load or shock than they can bear-through excessive body weight, excessive or improper load lifting, and neglect of good tone in the muscles of both back and abdomen which help to maintain good posture. There is no such thing as a "slipped" disk, although you hear the term often. What has happened to the victim of a so-called slipped disk is that the disk has been crushed or has worn out and a portion of it has been extruded. The ligaments and fibrous layers of the disk have weakened, and the nucleus has been pushed out from the center into the spinal canal, compressing the nerve roots that branch from the spinal cord at this level.

The disk most commonly undergoing such herniation is the one between the fourth and fifth lumbar (lower back) vertebrae. When this disk is affected, pain is usually felt down the back of the leg and even into the side of the foot. Disk herniation can occur gradually over a period of many years of strenuous jarring activity, or it can be caused by an accident like a fall. Effective treatment for disk herniation is available. It may be conservative, relying upon removal of pressure from nerve roots, use of a firm bed or bed board, traction, and medication. In some cases, surgery may be required. The wise thing, of course, is to prevent disk problems. One sensible measure is to keep body weight at the proper level. Another is to be careful in picking up heavy weights. And very much worthwhile is the maintenance of physical fitness through regular moderate exercise and the use of special exercises (see page 89) for strengthening back and abdominal muscles. 

The Skull and Spinal Column

THE SKULL The skull is made up of 22 flat or irregular bones. Fourteen are facial, including those for cheeks, jaw, and upper bridge of the nose. Air spaces, or sinuses, in many of the facial bones serve to reduce the weight of the skull. Eight bones form the cranium, which protects the brain. There are additional bones in the head area: the hyoid, to which are attached the muscles that move the tongue; and the auditory ossicles .

In the middle ear-hammer, anvil and stirrup-which respond to sound waves hitting the eardrum with a lever action that transmits the waves to the inner ear.

THE SPINAL COLUMN The spinal column-a flexible stack of vertebrae-serves to support the head and trunk and also to protect the spinal cord, which extends down- ward from the brain. Each vertebra is shaped like a circle with the back side of the circle made up of a solid cylinder of bone. Running through the hollow part of the circle, the spinal cord shoots out branches of nerves that go to various parts of the body. As they stack toward the skull, the vertebrae gradually decrease in size. The vertebra just above the sacrum at the base is a heavy, large bone with large projections on each side and at the back, to which muscles and ligaments are attached. At the base of the skull, the top vertebra is a delicate bony ring with small protuberances. Between each vertebra and the next is a spinal disk-a circular cushion of connective tissue and cartilage about one-half-inch thick. Each disk has several layers of tough, fibrous rings and a softer nucleus in the center. 

THE STRUCTURE AND STRENGTH OF BONE

 THE STRUCTURE AND STRENGTH OF BONE

 About one fifth of the weight of bone is water. Of the rest, about two thirds is mineral and one third organic matter. The minerals are chiefly compounds of calcium and phosphorus, with some of magnesium and other elements, while the organic matrix is chiefly a kind of protein fiber, collagen, which also is found in skin and connective tissue. The organic and inorganic components of bone along with cement- like substance are combined in a way that is sometimes compared to reinforced concrete. Bone is so strong that there are areas along the out- side of the femur, the long bone between hip and knee, which have been known to resist pressure of over 1,200 pounds per square inch.

 There are long bones like the femur (thigh bone), short ones like those in the wrist, flat ones like the shoulder blade, and irregular types like the vertebrae in the spinal column. All, however, have an outer layer of compact bone and an inner meshwork of less dense, actually porous material. Even the inner layer, sometimes called spongy because of its appearance, is remarkably strong. Far from being inert, the bones contain living cells and blood vessels. There are in fact three types of cells: the osteoblasts, which function in the construction of new bone material and repair of broken bones; the osteoclasts, which dissolve bone bits that are not required; and the osteocytes, which maintain the health of bone around them, using materials obtained from blood.

The long bones, ribs, and vertebrae are the sites, too, where the red blood cells of the body are produced. Each minute, millions of these vital elements are developed in the spongy area from red marrow, since the body requires billions and their lifetime is only a few months. Thus, the bony framework is not at all comparable to the framework of a building. It is a living framework. And while it has rigidity, it also has flexibility. Muscles are anchored to bone, and the anchoring must be strong. But there has to be movement, too. And it has been said aptly that man is a mixture of stiffness and relaxation, restriction and freedom, joints without movement and joints with great versatility. 

THE SKELETAL SYSTEM BONES

 THE SKELETAL SYSTEM BONES FORM the basic framework-the skeleton or chassis-of the body. The primary purpose of the framework is to provide support for the rest of the body through a combination of strength to resist great pressure and flexibility to absorb some shock without shattering. By means of rib cage and skull such vital organs as the heart and brain are guarded. Obviously, the skeletal system is important. Obviously, too, it is a source of much trouble-witness spinal disk problems and the proneness some people have toward easy bone fracture. Yet it is possible to use simple preventive measures to help maintain a healthy skeletal system. Much of the trouble people have is avoidable trouble.

THE BONES Generally, there are 206 bones in the body, although about 5 percent of people have an extra, or thirteenth, pair of ribs, and a much smaller percentage have only 11 pairs. At birth, there are actually about 350 bones, some of which later fuse. The fusion is usually complete by the end of the growth period. Each arm has 32 bones: a collarbone, shoulder blade, humerus, radius, ulna, 8 wristbones, 5 metacarpals in the palm, and 14 phalanges (3 to each finger, 2 to the thumb). Each leg has 31: hipbone, femur, kneecap, tibia, fibula, 7 tarsals in instep and heel, 5 metatarsals in the foot, and 14 phalanges (3 to each toe except for 2 to the biggest toe, the hallux).

The axial skeleton has 80 bones: there are 29 in the head, of which 8 are in the cranium, 14 in the face, 6 in the ears, and 1 in the throat between lower jaw and upper larynx; the spine has 33 bones in all-7 cervical, 12 dorsal or thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral vertebrae forming 1 bone, and 4 coccygeal vertebrae which, with the sacrum, are fused into one bone (thus, everyone is born with 33 vertebrae but in later life has only 26); there are also the 25 bones in the chest: the breastbone and 24 ribs.

Hair care and cure for hair loss

Such a preparation, if it actually does what it is supposed to do, may endanger the endocrine gland system. There are some things that may be helpful in retarding ordinary bald- ness. Control of dandruff is one. Avoidance of excessive hair wetting is another. It can be helpful, too, to avoid lotions and tonics, to protect the general health of the body, and to give the hair proper, but not excessive, attention and care. Once baldness has arrived, it cannot be cured. If it should be particularly distressing because of your business or profession, we strongly urge that you do not waste money on "hair restorers" but rather spend it on a hairpiece which, if carefully made and fitted, cannot be distinguished from your own hair.  Other Hair and Scalp Problems The hair and the scalp may be affected by many of the same conditions that affect other parts of the skin. Protect your head from irritating chemicals. Don't remove growths of any kind on your own; these should have the attention of a physician. Scalp infections can become serious, affecting glands, even entering the blood to produce blood poisoning.

They can usually be avoided by proper care of scalp and hair, but if an infection does occur, let your physician see, diagnose, and treat it. Head lice (pediculosis capitis) are a common problem in children, readily transmitted from youngster to youngster. While there are many old methods of eliminating them, including laborious use of a fine-tooth comb, new medications are so effective that it is worthwhile having your physician prescribe one and direct you in its safe use. Care should be taken to avoid reinfection by keeping comb and brush clean through boiling or dipping in alcohol. Children also are quite susceptible to ring- worm infections of the scalp. Your physician can cure such infections with little difficulty after he has determined the fungus involved and the medication most suited to eradicating it.  

Hair care dandruff hair restorer

Non-neutralizing home permanent kits depend for their action on the oxidation that takes place when the waving lotion is exposed to air as it dries. So far there is no indication that this can cause any more damage to the hair than would occur if a neutralizer were used, but it may not produce so long-lasting a wave. Baldness we are sorry to have to report that there is no cure for ordinary bald- ness-at least, not thus far. Any miraculous cures you may hear about have nothing to do with ordinary baldness, only with special types. For example, in a condition called alopecia areata, the hair suddenly falls out, often unclamps.

The disease, not fully understood, appears to be connected with tension and other emotional factors. In many cases, the hair will grow back again after the illness has subsided; and if the sufferer has been using a "hair restorer," he may sign a testimonial in good faith crediting it with his new hair growth. Baldness can stem from general ill-health, scalp infections, emotional problems, and diseases such as typhoid fever. The ordinary baldness of men, however, is the result of a combination of being male, one's age, and inheritance and, in medical terms, it is called "male pattern alopecia." Frankly, we do not have available yet a full understanding of ordinary baldness.

We know well enough that the tendency to it runs in certain families; that certain racial groups are more susceptible than others; that it is often associated with aging, perhaps because the fat layer between scalp and skull tends to disappear in men with advancing years. We know that the male sex hormone has something to do with it, as it has with the growth of body hair. And here we think it important to warn you never to take or use any preparation containing hormones or any preparation supposed to stop the action of a body hormone without your physician's advice.

Hair care Hair loss hair growth

An important precaution; if you wish to have your hair dyed is to have a small lock tested first to find out whether the dye will irritate your scalp or cause a general illness; some people have been made seriously ill by hair dye. Always repeat the test process each time you have your hair dyed, because you can develop sensitivity as you go along. Henna is safe but produces only reddish tones and it may make the hair somewhat brittle. There are rinses and tints you can buy in reliable stores; they are generally satisfactory.

They do not wash off your hair should it get wet but do come off during shampooing-an advantage if you change your mind or decide that you like your hair gray after it has turned completely so. It is worth remembering, too, that in many cases white hair may make a person look younger rather than older. Never dye either eyelashes or eyebrows because of the extreme sensitivity of both the eyes and the skin about them. There have been cases of blindness due to eyelash dyeing. A temporary darkener such as mascara is relatively safe but should be used with caution because it may produce irritation.

Permanent Waving Because the intrinsic structure determines whether hair is curly or straight, its character cannot be changed permanently. But hair is pliable and can be stretched and made curly by hot iron or hair curlers. Too much heat dries it out or scorches it. Hair that is too curly can be stretched and straightened. Is permanent waving safe? In the process, chemicals are used to make the hair more pliable so it will take the shape of the curler; another chemical is used to make it hold the new shape. While these chemicals may do little harm to the hair, this is not the vital issue, since hair grows fairly regularly under ordinary circumstances. More important is allergy or sensitivity. Always have a "test curl" made first to be certain you will have no severe reaction. Extreme care should be taken to keep waving lotions from the eyes and from any cuts or sores, and to remove them promptly if they touch any sensitive areas. Don't have permanents more often than absolutely essential, and make certain your beauty parlor operator knows her business, since too strong a solution can injure the hair. Home permanents operate on much the same principle as those used in beauty parlors. There may be greater danger, however, in home permanents because too often a test curl is neglected and there may be some carelessness about keeping the lotion from the eyes and face and from the reach of children. All the lotions are potentially dangerous, so it's important not to grow careless even though you have not yet had any trouble. 

Hair care Hair bleeching dandruff

A moderate amount of sunlight is helpful. For mild dandruff, you can use a lotion which your druggist may have in stock or your physician can prescribe: Mercuric bichloride 0.26 gram Euresol 8.0 cc Spirit of formic acid 30.0 cc Castor oil 8.0 cc Alcohol sufficient to make 240 cc Apply the lotion two or three times a week, rubbing it into the scalp. For persistent dandruff, an ointment can be used, either Pragmatar, which is made by Smith, Kline & French Co., or one your druggist can compound: Sulfur 2 grams Salicylic acid 2 grams Water 10 grams Aquaphor sufficient to make 30 grams Massage a small amount of either ointment into the scalp at night and remove the following morning by shampooing and rinsing. Use only a small amount so the ointment will not cling to the hair and be difficult to remove.

Oily dandruff can be more difficult to clear up. Apply a pure oil such as olive oil a short time before shampooing, to help loosen scales. Add " drop or two (no more) of ammonia to the rinse water, and rub a little vegetable or mineral oil into the scalp afterward. Again, it is important to use great care to prevent re-infecting yourself with your comb and brush; cleanse them thoroughly and often. And be sure any beauty parlor or barber shop you visit uses only sterilized combs and brushes. Almost every type of dandruff, including the severe type accompanied by itching, crusting, or inflammation (seborrheic dermatitis), will improve when treated with a selenium sulfide preparation (Selsun). You will need a prescription from your physician to obtain it. Alboline, Sebulix, Silicare, and Silicote are useful non-greasy preparations, but no preparation we know of actually cures dandruff. The main value of an effective preparation is that it keeps the dandruff under control and makes you wash and brush your hair regularly. Some people like to finish up with a plain shampoo after using a medicated preparation.

Gray Hair Pigment, of course, determines hair color. And hair grays because, for some reason still not understood completely, air spaces form in the hair shaft replacing pigment-usually in middle age, though it may happen prematurely. Graying, despite the stories you may hear, does not happen overnight, although illness has been known to cause rapid onset of gray- ing. As yet, there is no solid evidence that vitamins or anything else can prevent graying or restore original color to hair which has turned gray.

Hair Bleaching Hair can be bleached by ordinary hydrogen peroxide to which a drop of ammonia has been added. Sodium perborate bleaches can be harmful. And all bleaching, in fact, tends to alter hair texture. It is to be expected that new hairs, and new portions of hair round the roots, will grow in with the original color. The Skin, Hair, and Nails / 183 Hair Dyes Hair can also be tinted or dyed. 

Hair care

Brilliantine and similar pomades usually are made of mineral oil and keep the hair in place but nothing more. Sometimes the pomades are so heavy that they clog gland openings. It is generally best to avoid them. If your hair is oily after shampooing, a little alcohol, quickly rubbed off after application so it does not evaporate on the hair, will help. Your hair does not require singeing although you may have been told that singeing "seals up the ends, keeping in the oil, coloring, and other vital fluids." It does none of this. Sunlight is good for the hair in moderation, but will not make it grow. Nor will cutting the hair or shaving increase the growth rate. Keeping hair clean and brushed is the best procedure. Creme rinses are designed to help make hair more manageable and give it a feeling of softness after shampooing and rinsing. A creme rinse leaves a light film which may improve hair gloss. While egg shampoos and other protein rinses have been put forth as highly beneficial, there is no scientific evidence to support the claims. In fact, many investigators doubt that shampoos or rinses can penetrate the hair shafts, which are essentially lifeless structures.

They may, how- ever, have much the same effect as a creme rinse in influencing hair behavior by coating the outer surfaces of hairs. Dandruff a certain amount of dead cells, oil, bacteria, and dirt accumulating in the hair is natural and readily controllable with regular shampooing and rinsing. In dandruff, however, there are excesses and complications. The outer layer of scalp peels off in little white scales. The flakes become large, greasy, and yellowish. They may block sebaceous gland openings so the hair becomes dry, but more often dandruff is associated with in- creased activity of the glands and the hair becomes oily.

This latter condition is called oily seborrhea. And the scalp condition may be accompanied by greasy patches of skin on face, neck, and body. A number of factors can be responsible for dandruff: lowered resistance because of poor physical condition or nervous tension, infecting organisms, lack of absolute cleanliness. You may be able to clear dandruff by giving some attention to nutrition and general care of the body. Keeping hair and scalp scrupulously clean by shampooing and rinsing every few days may help. It's important to keep comb and brush clean. 

Hair and scalp, Hair care

HAIR AND SCALP 

Hair, which grows from the skin, can reflect, as the skin does, the general state of health. For example, dry, coarse hair may be an indication of under activity of the thyroid gland. While hair performs no indispensable function-and countless numbers of bald people live long and healthy lives-attractive, well-groomed hair can be psychologically important. Also, proper hair and scalp care can be important in the control of skin problems.

Care of the Hair

Hair, of course, should be kept clean. That requires a washing no less often than every ten days-more often if the hair tends to be oily. Plain toilet soap is excellent for the purpose, dissolved in a little water if you find it easier to use in liquid form. Good shampoos usually contain little, if anything, more of consequence than soap or detergent, along with some perfume to which you may happen to be allergic. Poor shampoos may contain an alkali or borax that may irritate the scalp. Washing removes both natural oil and dirt, and no shampoo we are aware of actually fulfills any claim that it restores oil while washing the hair. For oily hair, a tincture of green soap is satisfactory. For dry hair, a Castile shampoo is good. Don't forget to wash comb and brush at least as often as you wash your hair. After washing, rinse hair thoroughly. If your water supply is hard, soap is apt to leave a deposit on the hair. Some hard water can be softened by boiling; in other cases, distilling is necessary, but a nuisance. If you have very hard water and soap doesn't rinse off properly, you may want to use a soap less detergent.

While drying the hair, do not rub too hard. Sunlight or a hair dryer that blows air on the hair is good. So is gentle brushing during the drying. A little massage is helpful-but don't be too rough; just press the scalp with your fingers and move it about a little to stimulate the fatty tissue under the scalp. Do this once a day. One hundred daily strokes with a hairbrush is an old custom that deserves continuing; it is excellent for the hair, giving it a sleek and glossy look, and stimulating the glands that supply the natural oil. If your hair is dry, rub in a little pure olive oil or other oil after shampooing, or more often if necessary. Lanolin, somewhat overrated, works no magic. 

NEVER NEGLECT A SKIN PROBLEM, Nails

NEVER NEGLECT A SKIN PROBLEM 

It is important to understand that there are literally hundreds of skin ailments, both minor and major; that a skin condition can mirror an internal disorder-a disease of lungs, liver, heart, or other organs of the body; that it may also indicate general poor health, or a vitamin or other nutritional deficiency. Without years of study, you cannot learn all the skin ailments and all the possible meanings of changing skin conditions. Some, in fact, are difficult for physicians to identify and may require special study by specialists. For this reason, and because the significance of skin changes varies greatly, it is important to consult a doctor if anything unusual happens to your skin. He may be able to quickly relieve your mind of worry; and if it is a serious or potentially serious problem, the opportunity you give him for early diagnosis and early treatment is likely to be of great help in preventing complications and making possible eradication and cure.

NAILS 

generally, fingernails need little special care. In fact, most infections such as abscesses, whitlows, paronychia, or "runarounds" are caused by excessive care-too much manicuring of the cuticle. Push the cuticle back gently. Do not use a sharp instrument for this or for nail cleaning. Generally, any nail polish you happen to like can be considered safe to use if it does not produce irritation because of allergy or sensitivity. It's a good idea to tryout any new polish on a single nail at bedtime and make certain it is safe to use on your other fingers in the morning. Excessive dryness encourages the development of hangnails, and plain oil or a hand cream can be helpful in correcting the condition. If a hang- nail develops, it will heal over in a few days if protected by a small bandage. Brittleness of the nails does not, as many people still believe, stem from a deficiency in proteins, vitamins, or any other recognized nutrient. 

Brittleness can be caused by external factors such as detergents, solvents, and manicure preparations. To some extent, brittleness increases with age. Nails tend to be plastic when moist, brittle when dehydrated. It is possible that frequent use of nail polish removers containing solvents produces some decrease in water-holding capacity. Some investigations suggest that gelatin in large daily doses may be helpful, although, in general, physicians are convinced that no significant improvement is to be expected from gelatin. In some instances, brittleness can be traced to impaired thyroid gland functioning, a circulatory disturbance, or other systemic disorder. If you are bothered by persistent brittleness without obvious external cause, your physician may well be able to help. 

Skin problems

They may need to be removed, as they may turn into malignant growths. Cancer of the skin can be much less serious than cancer in any other part of the body because it can be diagnosed readily and early and removed early-provided no time is wasted on dangerous home treatment. Always make certain that any new or changing growth or lesion -a lump, sore, or wart-is harmless by having your physician check it rather than by "waiting to see." Waiting can represent dangerous loss of time. (See page 556 for more on cancer.)

 OTHER SKIN DISEASES Syphilis may be the reason behind any sore appearing in the genital region between three days to three months after sexual intercourse with an infected person. It may manifest itself again about six weeks later in the form of a measles-like rash, accompanied by 'jymplom5 somewhat like those of a cold. Although it is not true from syphilis, there is no time to waste if a sore or rash should be syphilitic in nature. Your physician can cure the disease immediately or set your mind at ease by making a test that can prove you do not have it. Syphilis does not cause pimples and itching. (See page 657 for fuller discussion of syphilis.) 

Erysipelas, also known as St. Anthony's fire, is an infection of the skin and underlying tissue caused by streptococcal bacteria. The affected skin becomes swollen, painful, burning, itching, and red, with a glazed, shining surface. It must be treated by a physician, who can cure it with avail- able modern medications. Glanders, anthrax, and tularemia are serious ailments contracted from animals with these diseases. Skin lesions can be important symptoms. Rashes can be caused by many contagious diseases such as smallpox, meningitis, measles, and other common diseases of childhood. It is important to note that any rash or abnormal skin condition that is accompanied by a fever or a general feeling of illness is a danger signal. A physician should be consulted for prompt diagnosis and necessary treatment. Lupus erythematosus, pemphigus, and scleroderma are potentially dangerous skin diseases.

 Lupus erythematosus is manifested by a red eruption of the nose and cheek, which takes the shape of a butterfly. It may follow exposure to the sun. The disease frequently remains in its mild form, especially if the patient follows the physician's recommendations. Pemphigus usually begins as a number of blisters, most commonly starting around the nose and mouth and gradually involving the rest of the body. Scleroderma, a hardening of the skin, is usually preceded by changes in the circulation of the skin, especially in the hands and feet, which become bluish and cold. These diseases today, with prompt treatment, have a far better outlook than only a few years ago. They are rare diseases and are mentioned here as a reminder that the skin is an important organ of the body and can be affected by more than minor ailments. 

Athlete's foot Skin problems

Athlete's foot, also called ringworm of the foot, should have medical attention if it persists. It is caused by a fungus, a microscopic plant growth, which thrives on dead cells of the foot, particularly under warm and damp conditions that may be found on the skin between the toes. Swimming pool walkways, locker rooms, and public showers are sources of infection. For primary prevention, shower slippers should be worn whenever possible. Other means of prevention include keeping the feet clean and dry.

If you have a tendency toward athlete's foot, dust the feet with talcum powder after washing and drying. Wear clean socks daily. Persistent athlete's foot, if untreated or inadequately treated, may lead to more serious bacterial infection (streptococci); so if you have a persistent problem, let a physician help you to eradicate it and prevent recurrence. Other ringworm diseases may develop under the nails, on the scalp, on the skin, and in the genital area. All may be spread by way of contaminated clothing, an infected pet, a barber's unsterilized tools, or dirty combs and brushes. Personal cleanliness and refusal to use anyone else's unwashed clothing, towels, or toilet articles offer the best protection against ringworm ailments.  

 SKIN GROWTHS A wart, produced by virus invasion, is a small growth of epidermal skin cells. Don't attempt to treat a wart yourself. There are satisfactory methods of getting rid of warts, including application of chemical sub- stances or painless burning off of the growths with a special needle. These methods are not safe unless employed by a skilled physician. Birthmarks include pigmented moles and the vascular types such as "strawberry marks." Never attempt to remove either kind yourself. Your physician can advise you about the precise nature of the mark, whether it may be expected to disappear spontaneously on its own (as some do), whether and when any special treatment may be needed, and when it is simply most practical to conceal the mark with a cosmetic preparation such as Covermark.

Your physician may feel that it is best to remove moles located on the palms, soles, or genitals. Any mole that starts to grow or bleed should be seen promptly by a physician. Keloids are tumors that do not become malignant. They appear in scars, and should not be cut out, as they usually will reappear in the new scar tissue forming after the cutting out. A physician can remove them with dry ice or radium. Harmless yellow tumors, called xanthomas, are caused by deposits of fat in the skin. If unsightly, they can be removed by your physician. Keratoses are soft brown spots that may appear in middle age. Later, they become hard, in which case it is usually good practice to have them examined by your physician. 

impedigo skin conditions dieseases

Impetigo, which is caused by bacteria, is a contagious skin infection, especially in infants. It is characterized by yellowish crusts, often on the face, that look as though they had been deliberately pasted on the skin. A doctor can easily cure impetigo before complications have a chance to develop. Folliculitis is similar to impetigo except that the infection affects the hair follicles or the pore openings of the skin. Barber's itch is a special case of folliculitis which involves the beard and makes shaving a problem for men afflicted with this frequently stubborn name for barber's itch is sycosis vulgaris. It may take some time to cure even a mild case of folliculitis. You may need one visit to the physician for instruction in removing infected hairs. Fever blisters (herpes simplex) are virus-caused and usually occur with a fever or cold, appearing around the mouth and nose.

Sometimes the blisters follow exposure to sun and wind. Usually they clear within a week or so. A drying lotion such as 1 : 500 aluminum acetate in cold water is comforting when applied with bits of cotton. Spirit of camphor is a helpful application in mild cases. Cold cream may help to bring relief during the onset period. Troublesome, recurrent fever blisters should be seen by a physician who may be able to eliminate the cause. Shingles (herpes zoster) is also virus-caused and actually involves infection of a nerve, along with the eruption that appears on the skin. Once it was commonly believed that shingles could be fatal if the infection completely encircled the body and "met." This has no basis in fact. There are potentially serious complications from shingles in the eyes and nerves.

Shingles should be treated promptly by a physician. The itch (scabies), caused by a tiny mite, is extremely contagious. Fortunately, it yields quickly to treatment. While almost any part of the body may be affected, favorite areas for the mite to burrow into the skin include hands, genitals, and skin folds. It is not always easy to determine whether or not one has scabies, and a physician should be consulted for a diagnosis. The remedies used for scabies can aggravate other skin troubles that may be confused with it. A physician will tell you how to kill the parasites in bed linen and clothes. 

Skin Infections

Skin sensitivity is not the same thing as allergy. For example, if your hands become irritated after repeated use of a strong cleansing agent, but not irritated after repeated use of the same agent in a weaker solution, you are sensitive rather than allergic to it. The allergic individual reacts to very tiny amounts of materials to which he is allergic. Skin sensitivity varies greatly among individuals. Some skins are sensitive to a multiplicity of things; others too few if any.  

SKIN INFECTIONS Exposed as it is, the skin is subject to invasion by many types of micro- organisms, including bacteria that may be harmless and other bacteria, that may cause boils or impetigo; viruses that cause fever blisters; parasites responsible for scabies; fungi that cause such problems as athlete's foot; and the organism of syphilis, the spirochete, which produces syphilitic lesions. A boil is a swollen, inflamed area on the skin produced by bacteria- bacteria that often are present on the skin but unable to do any damage unless resistance has been lowered by such things as irritating friction, cuts, poor health, bad nutrition, or diabetes.

A carbuncle, which may be produced by the same type of bacteria involved in boils, is more serious than a boil because it involves inflammation not only of the skin but of deeper tissues and is accompanied by a general feeling of illness. Boils and carbuncles respond readily to medical treatment, which may include use of penicillin or another antibiotic and/or incision and drain- age if necessary. In addition, the physician will try to determine the basic cause and treat or eliminate it if possible. (Diabetes may be heralded by the appearance of boils and other skin infections.) Anyone with a carbuncle should see a doctor. So should anyone who has a number of boils at one time or suffers from repeated outbreaks. Boils and carbuncles can be serious matters.

Organisms from a boil or carbuncle may enter the blood, with grave and even fatal consequences. This is particularly true of a boil or carbuncle on the nose or upper lip, because in these areas there is an easier access route for the organisms to reach the brain. If you have a small boil that is not on nose or upper lip, it is usually safe for you to try the following: Wash the boil and surrounding area with soap and water several times a day. Lightly dab on 70 percent alcohol afterward. Cover, not too tightly, with an antiseptic gauze pad to prevent irritation. In addition, hourly for ten minutes at a time, apply hot compresses. Make the compresses by soaking an antiseptic gauze pad in hot water containing as much table salt as will dissolve in it. This not only helps relieve pain but stimulates the boil to come to a head and drain. Cover with a fresh dry pad. If the boil does not get better within a few days, see your physician. Do not attempt to open a boil yourself or let an amateur surgeon friend try. 

Acne Skin RosaCea allergies

ACNE ROSACEA

Although somewhat similar in name to common acne, acne rosacea bears no resemblance to it in appearance or mechanism. Popularly, it is often termed "whiskey nose," which could hardly be more erroneous. Rosacea occurs in people who have never touched alcohol. It involves excessive flushing of the blood vessels of nose and cheeks. A nervous reflex may be a factor in such excessive flushing, and drinking alcohol may encourage the reflex, but the alcohol is not essential. With long-continued abnormal flushing, the blood vessels become more apparent, and nose size may increase. Even the worst case of acne rosacea can be cured. And, in mild or early stages, the problem often can be controlled by simple measures: frequent application of cold water, witch hazel, or ice to help contract the blood vessels. Pat or rub on gently; do not massage. It is also often helpful to minimize intake of alcohol and of hot and spicy foods.

SKIN ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES The skin, if a tough organ, is also a sensitive one. It can mirror emotions; it can also mirror internal allergic states. People have long been familiar with one form of allergy manifested in the skin-hives. In hives, superficial areas filled with a watery fluid appear and disappear on the skin, often itching quite severely. Hives may pop up after a particular food is eaten. Nettle rash, drug rash, and urticaria are other names for similar conditions. Itching from allergic reactions can be relieved by application of calamine lotion available in any drugstore or by bathing in water containing a cupful of bicarbonate of soda per bathtub of water.

Of course, the best thing to do, when possible, is to identify and avoid the substance that produces the reaction. Sometimes, this is not difficult. Many people have been able to determine for themselves that they get hives or "break out" after eating strawberries, for example, or after using a perfumed soap, wearing certain types of fabric, or taking a certain medication. It is certainly not difficult to discover that one is allergic to poison ivy or poison oak. There are instances, however, when it requires the detective skill of a specially trained physician-a dermatologist or allergist-to determine whether, in fact, a condition is really due to allergy and, if so, what the culprit substance or substances maybe. 

Acne Causes and remedies

There is considerable risk, too, that the rough breaking of the membrane and the disturbances that follow may produce scar tissue and pits. There is no 100 percent effective ways to prevent acne. But there are measures that can be used to minimize the immediate unsightly effects of acne and the risk of an aftermath of scars and pits. For one thing, certain foods are known to increase sebaceous gland activity; in effect, they feed the glands and encourage production of sebum. Their avoidance, and the resulting reduction of sebum production, can be of value. The foods include nuts, chocolate, fried items, pastries, and candies with high butterfat content. It is not necessary to eliminate all desserts and fats. Do go easy on rich foods, greasy foods, and chocolate; and carryon an intelligent search for any other foods that you may find have a particularly irritating effect on your skin.

 Especially in the acne years, keep the skin scrupulously clean. This can help reduce plugging of pores and start-up of blackheads. Wash often and thoroughly with warm water and plain soap. Scrub the skin with a clean washcloth, but not so hard as to produce irritation. Follow with a cold rinse. Have your own washcloth and towel; change both at least once a day. Avoid all creams and greasy lotions. Do not contribute to pore plugging with heavy makeup or "pore-closing" beauty aids; this is the last thing in the world you want to do. Do remove blackheads-but do so properly. Soak in warm sudsy water to help loosen them. Never use your fingers to squeeze out a blackhead. At most drugstores, you can buy an inexpensive little device, a comedone extractor. Press the extractor gently over a blackhead. If the blemish comes out readily, fine; after its removal, touch the spot with rubbing alcohol (70 percent).

If it doesn't come out readily, leave it alone for a while until it is ready to come out more easily. If you watch your food intake, keep your skin clean, take care of blackheads properly, there is likely to be a minimum of pimples. This is about the limit of primary prevention of this important, widespread ailment. There is no vaccine for prevention. Yet, by employing the primary and secondary preventives we advise, you should escape the major problems of acne.  

Some pimples may appear, and these too can be handled properly. Do not squeeze; this will take willpower, but it is worth exerting. Apply a compress wetted with hot water. This will encourage healthy drainage and healing. Hide the offending spot with Acnomel cake, which will also help to heal the pimple. If you have severe acne, your physician can help bring it under control with medication he can prescribe, including antibiotic agents that are taken internally.

Topical applications of special medicated preparations may also be of value. Medical attention, for a severe case of acne not only can help to improve appearance, but also can root out any serious infectious process and greatly reduce risk of scarring. Even if acne has scarred your face, medical science can help. "Planning" with a rotary high-speed brush is often effective in scar eradication. In the process, the outer layer of pitted skin is removed, leaving the part containing glands and hair follicles. New skin, rosy at first, then fading to normal color, grows in from the bottom up. Planning has been used successfully even in removing some types of birthmarks and disfigurations due to accidents. Remember that planning is a surgical operation, though not a major one. But it must be performed by a competent physician with the same care used during and after any operation. Never let a beauty shop employee or any other nonmedical person treat acne. 

Acne- Skin pimples- skin blackheads- skin white heads- membarane conditions- how to care for the skin?

ACNE

Acne, with its pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads, is a disorder that affects almost all teen-agers and some adults. Severity varies greatly. Acne may sometimes take the form of only a few blackheads. On the other hand, there may be many blackheads plus pustules and cysts or inflamed sacs deep in the skin. The exact cause of acne is still not clear, although much is known about the problem. As sexual maturation approaches in both sexes, glandular activity increases, and, as part of this, there is a stepping up in the outpourings of the sebaceous glands of the skin. In girls, this may be particularly pronounced at the time of menstrual periods. The sebaceous glands, which keep the skin moist and soft, pour an oily substance, sebum, onto the skin surface through hair follicles. Normally, the sebum is liquid and passes readily through the follicles.

However, if the flow is hampered-through some obstruction of the pathway or through over-thickening of the sebum itself-an inflammation may follow. Acne can be looked upon as a disorder of body chemistry, even though its manifestations appear on the skin. Adolescent acne accompanies a natural but sudden increase in the production of sex hormones and other glandular changes. Activity of the sebaceous glands is stepped up, too. Usually, acne disappears in later adolescence or early adulthood, even though sex hormone activity continues. The sebaceous glands function more efficiently after the rapid adolescent glandular changes have passed. Blackheads, or comedons, develop when excess oil accumulates in the pores. Their blackness represents not so much dirt as the discoloring effect of air on the fatty material in the clogged pore. If inflammation occurs, as it often does, a pimple results. Acne is a problem that, in effect, often feeds on itself. An unsightly pimple is something the owner wishes to have disappeared.

The seemingly simple and beguiling solution is to squeeze the pimple. But the squeezing, while it may reduce, immediately, the size of the elevation, breaks a membrane-a kind of inner capsule around the pimple below the skin surface. As a result, infectious material, previously contained within the pimple through the good offices of the membrane, now may spread to surrounding tissue. And, of course, infectious material squeezed out of the pimple spreads over the skin surface. One consequence may be more pimples. 

offensive body odor- Dry skin- Chafing- prickly heat- frost bite - oily skin - how to protect the skin from these dieseases and conditions?

Offensive body odor

Offensive body odor (bromhidrosis) is rare. It can often be overcome by bathing and use of a deodorant or antiperspirant under the arms. No special soap is needed. Men may prefer to wash under the arms with soap, follow with an application of rubbing alcohol which, upon drying, can be covered with an absorbent powder such as an ordinary baby talcum preparation. 

DRY SKIN. An insufficient flow from the sebaceous glands causes dry skin. 

This is not uncommon in middle and older age, and tends to en- courage wrinkling. If your skin is dry, avoid frequent washing with soap and water; instead, use a cleansing cream or oil, or a soap substitute. At bedtime, apply an emollient cream which usually contains lanolin or cholesterol (which is derived from lanolin) blended with vegetable oils and fats. Do not use plain lanolin. Olive oil or a commercial product such as Nivea cream is satisfactory. Apply more frequently if necessary. Dry skin often tends to chap during cold weather or in very dry air. If chapping occurs, treat as just indicated for dry skin. A lotion or hand cream may be used for chapped hands.

CHAFING

This is the result of friction, usually from clothing or the The Skin, Hair, and Nails / 171 rubbing together of body surfaces such as the thighs, which may be damp from perspiration. By keeping the areas dry and by using a good plain talcum powder, you can usually clear up the irritation.

PRICKLY HEAT

 Common in infants, this is due to overheating of the skin. Keep the skin as cool as possible and use a light powder rather than a heavy one which will block perspiration and accentuate the condition.

FROSTBITE.

The result of severe cold, frostbite usually affects nose, ears, fingers, or toes. Warm the parts gradually. Do not rub on snow or massage a frostbitten area, since this may damage the skin. For severe frostbite, a physician should be seen as soon as possible so effective treatment may be started and gangrene prevented.

OILY SKIN, Sometimes more distressing than dry skin, oily skin often can be corrected by use of plenty of soap and water, avoidance of creams and greasy lotions. Go easy, too, on heavy powder or pancake makeup, always washing it off thoroughly at night. The main problem faced by many people with oily skin is acne.