Fraternity-Testvériség, 1964 (42. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1964-07-01 / 7. szám
FRATERNITY 17 The early hardening of arteries, high blood pressure and rheumatic heart disease remain unsolved problems in spite of temporary success and in spite of extensive and costly medical research. As I had repeatedly pointed out in my previous reports, there is no doubt about the observation that the use of too much milk, butter, cream, bacon, eggs, ice cream and fatty foods plays a definitive part in producing early hardening of the arteries, especially in combination with heavy cigarette smoking in those whose line of work is sedentary and nerve wracking. Prevention is still the best, most effective and the cheapest treatment, and therefore may be the most difficult. It is very difficult to alter a diet well ingrained since childhood or change a mode of living or bad habits when the means of education and enlightening constantly and loudly are weakened by the alluring and misleading fanfare lavishly financed by unscrupulous commercial interests through the media of radio, television, newspapers, magazines, etc. A living example of this situation is the official report issued recently of the causal relationship of cigarette smoking and lung cancer and certain types of cardio-vascular diseases. In this striking and shocking report the Surgeon General of the U. S. has proven without any doubt the above fact, based upon long standing research and clinical statistical data, published it in a report which materially involves a 10-billion-dollar business, six or seven states and several million people. The role of inhaling cigarette smoke is not questionable any more in the causation of lung cancer and certain types of cardio-vascular disease. The thing we don’t know yet is the chemical composition of the ingredient in the cigarette smoke causing cancer. But until the day of this breakthrough, the least we can do is to stop inhaling cigarette smoke, unless we dare challenge fate itself, and not to be duped by the radio and television commercials, which continue to be loud and alluring. Cancer, the most formidable killer, is still increasing and because it can be cured in its incipient and localized stage only, we should not miss our thorough annual physical examinations, and furthermore, we should avoid or greatly restrict those things which may contribute to the formation of cancer, such as eating too much, too hot food, too frequent meals, just as too much tobacco, especially too much cigarette smoking. The higher number of deaths due to pneumonia affected mainly the very young and the very old, who either did not yet have or did not have adequate resistance and reserve strength any more, or the proper judgment to take care of themselves. The number of deaths due to diabetes and to internal exsanguina- tion most probably would be considerably lower by early diagnosis and properly and promptly established treatments. The 200% increase of suicides, especially among juveniles, reflects the revolutionary atmosphere of our time, the faulty upbringing of many children, and may include unrecognized mental and emotional disorders, too.
