4:00:00 PM
Adenoids
Q. What are adenoids and should they be removed?
A. Adenoids are growths which form in the upper part
of the pharynx and at the back part of the nasal cavity. They are likely to
produce serious injury by obstruction of the nostrils and may lead to deafness,
to deformity of the jaws, an abnormal expression of the face, and may even produce mental and nervous disturbances of a serious character.
Adenoids are usually
considered an indication of mal-nutrition. They
are doubtless the result of the attacks of bacteria upon the mucous membrane and a state of low resistance.
Adenoids should be removed as soon as discovered.
They always do more or less harm and can do
no possible good. The operation is a simple one; it is nothing more than scraping off the diseased mucous membrane with a suitable instrument. The operation should
be done by a specialist in disorders of the nose or throat.
The presence of adenoids is evidence of
a depressed vital state (low resistance)
and hence attention must be given to
building up the general health of the
child by proper diet, daily out- of-door exercise, sleeping in out-of-door air and
correct diet. The open air school room is essential for such children. Meats should be discarded
from the dietary along with condiments of all sorts. Instead of the popular breakfast
foods, feed the child oatmeal, (steel-cut oats) cooked six to eight minutes only and add to the oatmeal one-third its bulk of cooked wheat bran. Have the child eat a large dessert spoonful of cooked bran at
every meal together with fruits and
vegetables which should constitute the chief part of the diet. Greens of all
kinds are especially beneficial. Care should be taken to see that the bowels
move well three or four times a day. The tongue must be kept clean and the
breath sweet. Use paraffin if necessary to keep the bowels active; two or three
teaspoonfuls of paraffin oil at each meal or better
half a paraffin tablet. An emulsion of paraffin oil, "Paralax" is an
agreeable form to which children seldom object.