SCIATICA.

Mrs M.G. writes:—­My husband is a sufferer from sciatica; has had it for some years, on and off, but just lately he seems is to get it constantly—­sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.  He has been taking some salicylate of soda, and I have tried to persuade him to give it up.  His age is 42.  For his meals he takes, on rising, an apple or a cup of apple tea; an hour afterwards his breakfast, which consists of two tablespoonfuls of a proteid food mixed with distilled water, and a hard biscuit, two slices of whole meal brown bread, nut butter, and watercress or lettuce.  During the morning he drinks barley water.  For dinner, a salad and a few ground nuts and hard biscuits and an apple; sometimes home-made nut meat and spinach, hard biscuits and dried or fresh fruit.  For tea, a salad or lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cress, and Shredded Wheat and wholemeal bread.  Last thing at night, a few steamed onions and distilled water.  His bowels are in good condition, very regular, but he has this constant gnawing pain.  If you can help me in any way as to a change in his diet, it will be a relief to me.  I do not mind the trouble of preparing things for him.  It is about two months ago that he has taken to drinking distilled water, which I make myself.  His occupation is very sedentary, with long hours, sometimes from six in the morning till nine at night.  He has a bicycle, and gets as much exercise as possible.

From the description given one would assume that the sedentary occupation and long hours of work have caused this correspondent to fall into bad postural habits of sitting and standing, coupled with excessive depletion of his nervous energy.  The diet given is on good lines and, with the addition of home-made curd cheese and eggs as proteid, might certainly be continued as it stands, especially as the bowel action is regular.  What the correspondent does need is less hours of work; more physical exercises of a brisk back-stretching nature, and certain spinal stretching manipulations of an Osteopathic nature.  Full deep breathing in fresh air will also be beneficial.  The lower part of the spine, from which the sciatic nerves originate, needs the most attention.

 REFINED PARAFFIN AS A CONSTIPATION REMEDY.

Mr E.H. writes:—­Will Dr Knaggs very kindly say whether Refined Paraffin, now being given so generally for the relief of constipation, may be regarded as a harmless method of overcoming this trouble or whether its use might lead to harmful results.  I am told that this preparation of oil is not assimilated, and is therefore harmless, but I should much appreciate Dr Knaggs’ opinion on this matter.

The use of refined paraffin as a remedy for constipation is just now all the rage with the orthodox medical profession.  There is nothing really to be said against its right use, provided it is made to serve as one of the means to an end.