Health News and Information

If harsh, clashing sounds such as those made by machines get on our nerves and can damage our health, it is easy to believe that harmonious music would do just the opposite for us. Science has studied the effects on humans of various kinds of sound, and the consensus is that the right sort of music definitely has a beneficial effect on our state of health.

The lullaby a mother or grandmother sings at a child’s bedside is a good example of how a soft melody can have a calming effect. On the other hand, is it not true that the loud blare of pop music coming from a neighbour’s open window, when one is trying to relax and rest, has just the opposite effect? How often have Mozart’s delightful melodies boosted our morale? How many troubled and wrinkled brows have been smoothed by listening to the works of the great composers? The power of a Beethoven symphony has quietened many an agitated heart. Even the twittering of birds is often able to disperse worry and anxiety to such an extent that those who see no solution to their troubles return home from a walk in the woods comforted and strengthened, hardly realising from what source the power came. A child might fall and immediately begin to scream to attract attention and assuage his pain. If, just then, a robin or blackbird in the garden hedge starts to sing, the child invariably stops wailing. At first he is interested to know where the voice is coming from, then is comforted by the cheerful little minstrel; soon the pain is forgotten and the little face is all smiles again.

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There is a general idea that tobacco is only dangerous because of its nicotine content. This view is incorrect. There is yet another evil inherent in tobacco and that is the phenols and tarry substances that are released in the process of smoking. The latter are, to a great extent, responsible for the development of cancer. Smoker’s cancer of the tongue or throat results directly from tar contamination rather than nicotine. Experiments with rabbits have shown that tobacco tar can cause malignant ulcers. The ears of some rabbits were brushed with tobacco tar every two or three days, and within a few weeks or months most of the animals developed cancerous ulcers. If these experiments are repeated using ordinary tar, the same form of cancer develops, thus proving that it is not the nicotine but the tar in tobacco which is responsible for cancer. Thus, it is wrong to draw the conclusion that low-nicotine or nicotine-free tobacco is safe to smoke.

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Earlier this century, the British began to experiment with yeast and yeast extract as a concentrated food for various expeditions. From the point of view of weight and size, they turned out to be most suitable for this purpose. An individual can keep going longer on a pound of yeast extract than on a pound of any other concentrated food. In the beginning, the value of yeast was known only by the results that were obtained from its practical use, as little was known of its vitamin content. If today yeast and yeast extract are looked upon as the most valuable concentrated foods at our disposal, scientific research and experiments have amply justified this opinion.

Yeast contains various vitamins of the  complex, especially vitamin B, (thiamine), and is very important to the cells, helping to take up oxygen supplied by breathing (vitamin B2). The vitamin B] content of yeast is also most beneficial to the nervous system and the process of burning up carbohydrates.

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The manner in which bread cereals are ground is quite important. Some time ago I visited an old miller, who showed me an old-fashioned stone mill, now unused, beside the beautiful new machinery that replaced it. Without any prompting on my part, the miller began to tell me that his old mill had produced excellent flour, while the other two modern machines seemed to take all the goodness out of it. At first I thought this was rather exaggerated, but in the light of subsequent observations I was forced to agree with him.

The ancient Romans, who knew something about metallurgy, were certainly in a position to make metal rollers or discs, if they had not been convinced that the use of stone was more appropriate for milling grain. Every metal mill, if it creates too much friction heat, does something detrimental to the flour which, ultimately, is reflected in its taste and quality.

Today it is known that copper destroys most of the vitamin Ñ content of food that is brought into contact with this metal. Similar effects take place with other metals too. Thus it is possible that an iron or steel mill could affect the taste or composition, or both, of the flour, even though this has not yet been proved conclusively.

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The amount of vitamin Ñ contained in each item is only approximate. The actual figure varies according to where the plants grow and the season, but the fresh fruit or vegetable has the highest content when just picked, as a certain amount is lost in storage. It goes without saying that you will only need part of the amount given for each food item containing vitamin Ñ because you will eat more than one category of such foods in the course of the day. If sugar is added to the raw, freshly prepared fruit puree, a larger amount of fruit will be needed to cover your requirement.

To set your mind at rest I would like to point out that the natural vitamin Ñ in our food does not harm the system, even though we might take in more than the indicated daily quantity. However, this cannot be said about the synthetic vitamins. These artificial products should only be taken in accordance with the prescription and are never equal to the vitamins contained in plants or fruit. Bio-C-Lozenges, on the other hand, are made from fruit extracts with a high natural vitamin Ñ content and help to prevent vitamin Ñ deficiency. So if you believe the principle that food should be a remedy at the same time, you will not take synthetic vitamins but see to it that your daily requirement comes from carefully chosen and prepared food.

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