Dyspepsia by John Harvey Kellogg

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Nov 28, 1878

Dyspepsia.

By John Harvey Kellogg

No disease affords the regular drug physician so large a revenue as dyspepsia. If he can keep constantly on his roll of patients a few wealthy, chronic dyspeptics, his financial success is secured. The venders of the multitudinous quack nostrums with which the drug shops are filled, also reap a golden harvest from this class of customers. The same physician will treat a confirmed dyspeptic for many years, always curing him, and finally curing him to death. Drugs never cure dyspepsia. They mitigate symtoms, they stupefy the nerves and so allay pain, they change the seat of local disease, they create new diseases. The fundamental error in the plan of treatment usually followed in treating this disease consists in the fact that the local symptoms, or manifestations of the constitutional disease are treated, instead of the general conditions. As the result of this unphilosophical procedure, the disease is chased about from one part of the body to another until the system no longer possesses power to react against the medicines with which the poor patient is dosed, and nature finally succumbs—the patient dies; but he never dies of dyspepsia! His disease is invariably attributed to the last local difficulty with which he happened to be suffering when the vital machinery ceased to run.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF TREATMENT.

As may be judged from the foregoing, no success can be attained in the treatment of the disease under consideration by merely attending to local difficulties and ailments. The patient must be treated and not his disease. Palliative measures may be resorted to as means of mitigating unpleasant or distressing symptoms; but no permanent good can be obtained from any other course of treatment than that which aims at an improvement of the general health.

The most important principle to be borne constantly in mind is that the same measures which will prevent indigestion are, in general, the very most efficient means of restoring to health a person suffering from this disease. Then the first thing to be done by the dyspeptic in seeking health is to correct all of his habits which are not in strict accordance with the requirements of hygiene.

As valuable auxiliaries to facilitate recovery, various remedial agents of a special character may be employed in addition to general preventive and curative agents. Some of these are adapted to home use, while others can be well administered only at a properly equipped institution especially devoted to the treatment of disease. Thus, the various and potent resources of hydropathy are among the most available sources of relief to the dyspeptic patient. Swedish movements, electricity, sun-baths, frictions with the dry hand or towel, and such other similar appliances as nature can use in healing work, are of great utility.

WATER TREATMENT.

Since no two sufferers from the diseases of indigestion exhibit precisely the same condition, it is impossible to lay down a fixed plan of treatment which shall be applicable to all cases. We can give only the general indications. The treatment must be adapted to the particular case of each patient. We would advise all who are in doubt with reference to the exact course to pursue, to obtain the assistance of a home prescription from some competent hygienic physician.

As a general thing, dyspeptics need very little bathing. One or two general baths a week to keep the skin in a healthy, vigorous condition, and to promote cleanliness, is all that can be advantageously administered in most cases. Those who are troubled with habitually cold feet will find a daily alternate hot and cold foot-bath of advantage. Cold bathing should not be practiced.

When great pain in the stomach is felt after eating, arising from the souring of undigested food, a warm water emetic will give relief in case it cannot be otherwise obtained. The water should be lukewarm, and should be drank in moderate quantities at intervals of a few minutes until from one to three pints have been swallowed. Vomiting may often be induced by tickling the throat with the finger or a feather, if the water is insufficient to occasion it.

Acute stomach pains may often be relieved by hot fomentations over the stomach, followed by a cool compress or hand-rubbing with cool water. The wet-girdle has been much recommended as a remedy in dyspepsia, and it doubtless is an excellent appliance for temporary employment; but the habit of wearing it continually until an ulcerated or inflamed surface is produced cannot be too much condemned.

Occasional sitz-baths, accompanied with rubbing of the abdomen while in the bath, are excellent for torpid bowels.

Enemas may be occasionally resorted to in cases of obstinate constipation, but their continued employment is productive of much injury, resulting in weakness and consequent increased torpidity of the bowels. Other measures must be made the main reliance to relieve costiveness of long standing.

BATHING.

In bathing it is important to observe the following precautions:—

1. Never bathe when exhausted or within three hours after eating, unless the bath be confined to a very small portion of the body.

2. Never bathe when cooling off after profuse sweating, as reaction will often be deficient.

3. Always wet the head before taking any form of bath to prevent determination of blood to the head.

4. If the bath be a warm one, always conclude it with an application of water which is a few degrees cooler than the bodily temperature.