Catarrh is general term applied to sub-acute or chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane, its distinguishing feature being the discharge of mucus ranging from a thin water fluid to offensive thick mucus. Most people apply the term catarrh only to the involve-ments of the nose and throat. However, catarrh may effect any portion of the body wherever there is mucous membrane. Thus there may be catarrh of the stomach and intestines, whichis quite common, or of the bladder, ‘and so on. Catarrhis similar to a “cold” in regard to the mucous membrane discharge, but an acute cold rarely is called an acute catarrh. It is such, however.

Catarrh is usually curable. There are very few diseases more certain of correction than catarrh and yet this condition sometimes lingers on for a discouragingly longtime, even under the most satisfactory treatment. One reason for this is that the body takes considerable time to re-establish normal functioning of the natural eliminative organs so that there will be no need for the great demand upon the mucous membrane. Usually it is quite readily eliminated in children and young adults, but is more stubborn in those in middle age and beyond. If there is a fair amount of vitality and will power and there is nodisintegrationof some of the vital organs or of the mucousmembrane, catarrh can be cured in practically. The cases that can not be cured usually are in elderly people, but though these may not fully recover they can greatly improve.

Symptoms of Catarrh

The symptom s of catarrh are due to the efforts of membranes to cast out the excess mucus which catarrh Causes. Various as these symptoms are they do not need enumerationhere.The caus eof catarrhis the vital forces working toward the purification of the body. Catarrh is a disease which is also called as runny nose mainly caused by the mucous membrane swelling or discharge of mucous membrane. This disease is usually associated with common cold, and it is common in patients with middle ear infections, tonsillitis, sinusitis and other adenoid infections. The occa-sions for catarrh(usuallyconsideredthe causes) are our numerous wrong habits of living. However, to simplify the subject we will dispense with the distinction and call all factors responsible for the catarrh, the causes.

Causes of Catarrh

The chief cause is excessive eating and defective elimination. If the reader will turn to the section on Toxemia the various causes of catarrh will be found clearly given. It is chiefly necessary here to point out the most pronounced cause of catarrh-of the toxemic condition that makes the body produce the catarrh. The muse of large amounts of starches, such as bread stuffs, pastries, and potatoes, rice, macaroni, etc., sugar and its products, rich desserts, fried foods, pancakes, syrups, and candies are among the chief causes and the chief perpetuators of the underlying toxemia. Combined with this usually is an excessive amount of meat-eating, so that there is both putrefaction and pathological fermen-tation in the intestinal tract, with absorption of the detrimental by-products of these processes. All of these considered in addition to the absorption of an excessive amount of food elements and there are found many reasons for catarrh.

Treatment of Catarrh

In order to eradicate catarrh it is necessary to re-establish not only elimination through all channels, but normal activity of all the vital organs and processes. Usually a person needs no outside help in order to correct this condition. A great many people lose courage easily, especially when relief is not as rapid as they may have expected. No matter how slow the progress may be, one can be certain that a proper program of living will steadily improve the general health and in time there will be a disappearance of any discharge from the mucous membrane.

The regular diet should be returned to very gradually, and should consist of fruits of all kinds, salad and cooked green vegetables, with slowly increasing amounts of the root vegetables and, if considerable improvement is noted, very limited amounts of whole grain cereals and milk in some form. Green vegetables and juicy fruits should form the bulk of the diet. Some meals should be exclusively of one or the other.