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Show j Treatment for Buzzing Ears And Dizziness By DR. JAMES W. BARTON (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) MOST cases of dizziness are due to some disturbance disturb-ance of the ear or the liver. What is known as Meniere's disease of syn- I drome has sud- TODAY'S den attacks of urn ITU dizziness as its ntHLIn outstanding COLUMN symptoms, to- 1 1 gether with nausea and vomiting. vom-iting. "Deafness and tinnitus (singing in the ear) may occur oc-cur just before or just after the attack of dizziness, nausea nau-sea and vomiting. "The attacks are so suddenly severe se-vere that patients are 'struck down' and walking without aid is usually impossible." It is this "suddenness" and being struck down and unable to walk without help that is the real difference between Meniere's disease dis-ease and the ordinary feeling of lightheadedness and dizziness. The treatment of Meniere's disease dis-ease in the department of internal inter-nal medicine, Lahey .j clinic, Boston, re- ported In Medical t 1 Clinics of North . I r I America, may be ei- 1 j ther medical or sur ' f , J "The medical man- , J agement giving most , K promise consists of Nsfc j use of a diet low in L "W?T 1 sodium apples, as-HK,:.iii as-HK,:.iii baj paragus, cabbage, Dr. Barton brussels sprouts, lettuce, let-tuce, grapes, lemons, lem-ons, oranges, sugar, jelly, honey; ImcaltoH KnlfiH l 3 11 avoidance of table salt and the administration ad-ministration of ammonium chloride." chlor-ide." The Foods to Avoid. The -foods that contain a large amount of sodium and therefore should be avoided are: ordinary bread, salted butter, crackers, eggs, . meat, milk, spinach, carrots, beets, oatmeal and all corned, pickled, smoked or salted foods. . If the above treatment does not give relief, the patient is referred to the surgeon who cuts nerve fibers supplying "certain parts of the ear. Eighteen patients were placed on the medical treatment above outlined out-lined (eight men and ten women). Thirteen of the patients had Symptoms Symp-toms in Hth k. : . . uvbu tat a uuiiuig, roaring and deafness. Despite the fact that these were outpatients and could not be under complete control, 12 of the 18 patients pa-tients obtained complete relief from the acute attacks, although two still had annoying ear noises. Worry Can Cause Organic Disease TpHERE is no question but that physicians have been slow in recognizing the effect of the mind upon the working of the organs of the body heart, stomach and digestion, diges-tion, blood vessels and blood pressure, pres-sure, and other organs and processes. proc-esses. Today, however, the physician physi-cian knows, as the old family doctor doc-tor learned years ago, that an unsettled, un-settled, anxious mind can cause actual organic disease. When a patient comes in for a consultation today, most physicians listen patiently to his whole story and, because parts of the story do not fit into a regular pattern of some disease, do not tell him there is nothing wrong with him. They realize that the patient must be convinced about his ailment and so a complete examination is made This may include the X-rays, a visit to the dentist or other specialist, and complete consideration of all the findings given. If no organic condition is found, the physician states this fact to the patient and in most cases, with the mind relieved re-lieved of anxiety the symptoms disappear. dis-appear. How Difficult Cases Were Handled. A number of years ago a Protestant Prot-estant clergyman and a Catholic priest were attached to one of the hospital clinics in London. A patient after being thorouehlv mi.J and no organic disease found which could account for his symptoms, was handed over to the clergyman or priest. In most cases by car ful and sympathetic questioning the worry, fear, anxiety, obsession or other emotional disturbance was brought to light and suggestions giv-en giv-en as to the best manner of handling han-dling each difficult condition. QUESTION BOX Q.-My son, who is 16 years old Wn,Tl!r mdy and Prospective: Would you advise me to consult a psychiatrist? a A.-Yonr own physician can heln i vonr boy after one or two consult, tions. He must mix or play to be come a normal man. There may be some physical reason, or some m''nal condition, that is causing this behavior. However, your physi! -an should see him befre him to a psychiatrist. |