THE " FRIEND " DOCTOR TALKS .sx Something Hot , Something Cold .sx MORE than half my work consists of dealing with stomach trouble .sx And I know that very nearly all of it could so easily be avoided .sx Cultivate a good digestion and you'll not only feel better physically .sx You'll live longer .sx Right away , let me say you don't need to be fussy about your diet .sx Just take heed of a few simple rules .sx Here's a most important one for dinner-time .sx Whether it's winter or summer have something hot and something cold .sx An all-cold lunch is bad for you .sx It stuns the stomach .sx Your digestion is out of action for hours .sx An all-hot meal in winter is almost as bad .sx You need a cold sweet to even up the inside temperature .sx DON'T shut your eyes to the fact that some of the tastiest foods are pretty indigestible .sx I'm not going to be a spoilsport and tell you to cut them out .sx But try not to overdo these things :sx - Hot buttered toast .sx The fat seals off the bread and the gastric juice can't get to work .sx The toast will lie on your stomach three times as long as plain bread .sx So try to make do with just one slice .sx There's no doubt that cheese is a grand food .sx But have you any idea how much you should have at a time ?sx It's a piece the size of a small matchbox .sx Any more and you've only yourself to blame if you get indigestion .sx And the fancier the cheese the less you need .sx Pork is one of the hardest foods to digest .sx It's a five-hour job for the stomach , so a little is enough .sx And here's an idea to help avoid any ill-effects .sx Next time you have pork make a point of having stewed fruit in the meal .sx The fruit peps up the gastric juices and helps the digestion enormously .sx THE most indigestible fruit is the pear that isn't quite ripe .sx And warn your children not to go eating green , unripened apples .sx They can make a youngster ill for days , and it's no exaggeration to say the stomach may never fully recover .sx I've cured quite a few patients of the kind of indigestion that gives you a blown-up feeling .sx It's nearly always caused by drinking with a meal , so try not to wash your food down .sx And when you do have a glass of water don't swallow it at one gulp .sx Finally , you can have a good , sound digestion if you'll only remember to chew every mouthful of food twenty times .sx It's Time To Check Your Weight .sx THERE'S one thing I'd like everyone to do this week .sx Weigh yourself !sx This is the most important time of the year to check up .sx Don't worry if you're a bit underweight .sx That's natural .sx But if the scales show a pound or two extra , then take this warning .sx If you've a tendency to fat , it's in the summer you put on weight that's going to be there for good !sx What's more , it's important to know where the extra poundage has gone .sx Round the waist line is worst of all .sx Stand erect and pull in the stomach .sx If you still bulge round the middle , then it's high time you did something about it .sx FAT is not a solid thing .sx It tends to flow where the skin is loose .sx So if you're out of condition and your stomach muscles are flabby- that's where the fat goes .sx Stomach fat goes to two areas- around the bowel and below the liver .sx And when this part of the system is hampered and clogged , the breathing suffers .sx But here's the biggest danger .sx When there's no more room round the middle , the fat can go straight to the heart .sx Women are the worst sufferers from breathlessness due to fat .sx If a man becomes breathless he's pretty quick to see a doctor .sx But women seem to take it for granted .sx Another area where fat can be dangerous is in the arteries .sx Anyone suffering from overweight risks the fat lingering in the bloodstream .sx Because of this you should never ignore a pounding in the heart or a throbbing of the head if you're overweight .sx If you do , you may be risking coronary thrombosis .sx YOU may be surprised to learn that fat can be dangerous on the hands and feet .sx This isn't common .sx But the moment a grown-up discovers she needs a bigger size in shoes and gloves- see a doctor .sx Thick ankles are not always due to mere fat .sx Often varicose veins are to blame .sx The safest place for fat is on the arms .sx It helps to keep the muscles in shape .sx Fat round the neck is not so frightening as you might believe .sx Whether the fat is at the back or under the chin , the excess won't do any harm so long as there isn't too much of it .sx The first signs of a thick neck affecting health are headaches and irritability .sx These indicate blood pressure .sx By far the luckiest folk are the ones with a thin layer of overall fat .sx They can stand both cold and hot weather , because the fat under the skin helps control the body temperature .sx Little Signs I Don't Like To See .sx I DIDN'T like the look of a patient who came to see me a few evenings ago .sx He'd rushed to the surgery and was breathing heavily .sx But it wasn't that which disturbed me .sx It was the time he took to recover .sx If you're under 25 you should get your breath back in one minute .sx Under 45 I'd say two minutes .sx Up to 65 the breathing should be easier inside four minutes .sx What are the other little signs a doctor doesn't like to see ?sx When a woman comes to me complaining of tiredness and breathlessness , the shape of her ankles can tell me a lot .sx If her ankles have been steadily getting thicker I suspect trouble with the heart .sx But when there's no breathlessness and no general fatigue then the ankles have simply thickened with too much standing or walking .sx FOLK over 45 would do well to watch the veins at the side of their necks .sx These veins stand out pretty far when you're bursting with anger or physical exertion .sx But when the anger dies away or the exertion is over these veins should subside .sx If they don't I've a suspicion the heart is congested and overtaxed .sx The heart has another way to tell the world it's under strain .sx The pulse beats at the side of the neck just where a man's collar is .sx Maybe you've noticed this yourself in a person full of suppressed excitement- usually someone who takes a pride in self-control .sx Well , self-control isn't always good for health .sx The body's normal reactions don't like being suppressed .sx Secret worry and suppressed emotion affect the heart , and in many cases this shows in the pulse beat I mentioned .sx Occasionally I notice my patient has a quiver round the mouth or lip .sx This indicates nervous strain .sx No matter how you try to control yourself , the muscles round the mouth are first to give way .sx I ONCE warned a patient he was due for an attack of lumbago unless he was careful .sx " But how can you tell ?sx " he asked .sx " It's quite easy , " I told him .sx " You're walking at a slight forward angle .sx That tells me your back muscles are taxed and uncomfortable .sx They're fighting the lumbago .sx " Bloodlessness isn't so easy to detect as you might imagine .sx You can look as fit as a fiddle and yet be bloodless .sx My test rarely fails .sx I look- not at the lips , which can be deceptive- but at the ear lobes .sx I can learn a lot when the light is shining through the lobes from behind .sx I don't like to see the lobes pale or dull pink .sx The richer the colour the better .sx When There's Nothing Better Than A Poultice .sx YOU know that awful feeling you get about two o'clock in the morning , when you have a pain that won't let you get to sleep .sx A patient of mine had a pain like that in her shoulder .sx It gnawed and gnawed for hours .sx At last she got up in desperation .sx There was no fire and she was out of aspirins .sx Do you know what she did ?sx She opened the oven door , lit the gas , and then sat in front of it .sx The heat certainly eased the pain .sx But if only she'd known she could have been lying comfortably in bed getting the same relief .sx All she had to do was to make an old-fashioned poultice .sx A HOME-Made bread poultice can work wonders .sx Just cut one slice of bread about an inch thick .sx Roll it in gauze muslin or thin cotton .sx Dip it into hot water then wring out .sx The secret is to do it gently .sx The poultice should never be dripping wet .sx Then test it for heat on the back of the hand .sx Mould the poultice over the painful part and make sure it extends three inches all round beyond the pain .sx Finally cover the lot with a piece of old flannel , cotton wool , or a double thickness of lint .sx Why does a poultice do the trick so well ?sx Well , it dilates the blood vessels .sx It draws blood to the painful area .sx This in turn restores the damaged tissue and carries away harmful poison .sx And there's nothing like a poultice to help you get to sleep .sx When you're in pain all the muscles round the area tighten up and make the pain worse .sx But the poultice slackens off this muscle tension , and half your battle for sleep is won .sx OF all ailments I think chest troubles get most relief from a poultice .sx Bad bronchitis can be specially distressing .sx Yet a poultice can ease the breathing and loosen the tightness in the chest .sx But , remember , children or anyone who is frail should not have the poultice on the chest .sx The weight might restrict the breathing .sx So for these folk put the poultice across the shoulders , just below the shoulder blades .sx The biggest poultice of all is needed for pleurisy .sx It should start under the armpit and go down almost to the waist .sx Of course , the best poultice of all is the kaolin variety- if it's fresh and moist .sx But you can take comfort in the fact that you need never be stuck- so long as you have a slice of bread in the house .sx Seven Golden Rules For The Winter .sx NOW'S the time a lot of my patients ask me the same question .sx " How is it , doctor , that you manage to keep so clear of colds every winter ?sx " They think I have some special medicine , but I don't .sx All I do is follow these golden rules :sx - .sx When the first frosts come start the day with porridge and milk .sx The lime in the oatmeal and in the milk is good for the circulation .sx It's specially good for anyone plagued with chilblains .sx But the porridge does more .sx That mass of warm oatmeal in your stomach is central heating at its best .sx You won't feel the cold so much on your way to work .sx You won't chill so easily standing for a bus .sx .sx Never go out on a winter's morning with an empty or cold stomach .sx If you do , the blood has to rush inwards to warm up the stomach .sx There's less blood for the outer areas , and that can mean a chill .sx .sx Always keep on the move .sx If you pop your finger quickly in and out of cold water you'll hardly feel the cold .sx Keep the finger in for a longer time and it will " freeze .sx " In the same way you can walk along wet roads without becoming chilled .sx But you're asking for trouble if you stand around for a gossip .sx .sx In cold weather a little exercise is the best defence against rheumatism- particularly fibrositis .sx There's no need for special exercises .sx Simply stretch yourself .sx Wiggle your hands and toes .sx The older you are the less strenuous the exercises should be .sx But even if you're over seventy , do try to get your muscles moving .sx