The Mail-Journal, Volume 21, Number 19, Milford, Kosciusko County, 23 May 1984 — Page 27

SUMMER

Backaches might be prevented with exercises

Visits to the family physician once a year for a r complete physical, the dentist for a checkup, and the eye doctor to keep tabs on vision, were unheard of years ago. However, preventive care is now the accepted norm, and rightly so. It can mean a lot in terms of health. Although the norm in some areas, preventive care is quite lax in others. Thinking in terms of the back, most Americans take the area for granted. Few realize that one out of four people in the nation has back trouble and the next to the common cold, back ache is the country’s most frequent malady. Unlike the common cold, back aches can be prevented, and damage caused by years of neglect can be minimized. Orthopedists claim back aches are often the result of too much loafing. Since summer is a time for

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exercise in general, it is probably a good time to get busy caring for your back with sufficient daily exercise. Many people complain of back ache upon waking in the morning, which continue until their muscles become more limber later in the day. This trend in symptoms has led doctors to believe that many back pains could be alleviated if people would sleep on a very firm matress. Other preventive measures include bending at the knees when picking up heavy objects, getting daily exercise, maintaining good posture regardless of your activity, and avoiding as much as possible sudden twists and turns of the back. Daily exercise need not be time consuming. No equipment and no leotards are necessary. Sit-ups are the key to back

the PAPER - WED., MAY 23,1984

fitness, and building up gradually each day is easy. To begin, lie on the floor, feet slightly apart, hands on sides. Raise head and back forward until you can see the heels of your feet. Then return to the floor. The beginner should start very slowly with 3-6 sit-ups daily. The number should steadily increase each day until 25 sit-ups can be done without any discomfort, then a new sit-up series can be started. The next series of sit-ups begins is lying on the floor, making sure/all parts of the back are making contact with the surface. Feet

Get away from allergies

Travel and vacation time, everybody welcomes it, but some travelers greet it with a special enthusiasm. They’re the sniffling, snuffling, stuffy-nosed sufferers of hay fever and other afflictions brought on by airborn pollen, mold and similar nuisances. For them, vacation time is really getting away. That is, getting away from ragweed, a plant which produces the smallest most annoying, most penetrating pollen in the United States. But the problem isn't limited to ragweed. Since grass and trees, as well as plants prodyfee pollen, it is almost impossible to run away from all such allergens — especially on camping trips. Further, allery-activiating mold spores are in hte air almost everywhere. Still, there is hope for the hay fevered traveler. These suggestions may help. Consult a physician —for those who suffer severely from hay fever or similar allergyinduced reactions, antihistamines or injections can be the most effective means of control. Select the vacation locale with reference to the weather — the climate should be a temperate one, neither too hot nor too cold.

should be together, knees up, hands behind your head. With a partner holding feet firmly to the floor, the upper portion of the body should raise forward, touching knees with eloows. Return to the floor and repeat. As with the initial series, the second exercise should start out slow. Three to five of these sit-ups the first day and gradual increasing until 25 can be done without pain. It’s so easy, and your back supports your every day. Give it the support it needs, while avoiding a lot of pain.

Don’t travel in hot, windy weather, when there will be a great deal.of pollen in the air. Avoid becoming overheated or chilled — the right course is to keep cool, but not too cool. Excessive air conditioning, in the car or motel, may irritate an allergy, rather than soothe it. Travel at a relaxed pace — fatigue can bring on a hay fever attack. Plan to travel no more than a comfortable distance each day, and don’t try to do and see too much. You’ll enjoy your vacation much more.

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