WHEN COMPLICATIONS THREATEN
By Vincent A. Fenn
Band ANY times during His sojourn
here Christ ministered to the sick and
suffering. By Him sickness was often
mentioned as a type of sin. When a miracle
of healing was performed, not infrequently
He followed 1t with the admonition, “Go
and sin no more.” In one instance, as re-
corded in John 5: 14, this addition: al word
of warning was given: “Sin no more, lest
a worse thing come unto thee.”
In times of slight or critical illness there
is always the danger of serious complica-
tions. The doctor and the nurse must
ever be on the alert for signs which indi-
cate a change in the patient’s condition.
For many types of disease there are
specific remedies, specific types of treat-
ment. Fortunate indeed is the individual
who, when stricken with a serious illness,
finds that there is a specific remedy, a
method that has been tried and found to
be the practical way of promoting re-
covery and warding off complications.
There 1s a great similarity between the
physical and the spiritual life in this re-
spect. That there are many forms of soul
‘illness, with attendant serious compli-
cations, is a fact well known to the follower
of Christ. And many times the real
danger is not so much in the primary 1ll-
ness as in the complications that are so
liable to develop.
However, the Great Physician has
written for us many prescriptions which
are specific remedies for the diseases of the
soul. Besides the remedies, there are many
preventive measures to be taken for any
form of soul disease. These are all written
in God’s great Prescription Book, and
they are all reliable.
In our physical life we are constantly
surrounded by germs of all kinds. In our
spiritual life we are always exposed to in-
fluences of evil. We must continually
strive to build up a resistance against soul
disease; for the admonition is to ‘“‘work
out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. Tor it is God that worketh in
you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure.” Philippians 2:12, 13. If we
neglect to follow the directions given by
the Great Physican, we lower our spiritual
resistance, and soon fall vietims to some
malady which may lead to serious compli-
cations.
Some of the diseases common to the
Christian are discouragement, envy, worry,
hatred, and sorrow, all of which are sub-
ject to many serious complications.
To illustrate, take sorrow. First of all
there must be a correct diagnosis, other-
wise we might suggest the wrong treat-
ment. Sorrow has various forms. Sorrow
MAY, 1942
for sin is godly sorrow, and leads to re-
pentance. But sometimes a loved one is
taken, or we pass through a bitter ex-
perience; this causes another kind of sor-
row. In such times of stress we should go
at once to the Great Physician; He will
direct us to a specific remedy. So often
we fail to do this, but begin instead to
question the justice and love of God, until
soon we have developed a serious complica-
tion which may result in the death of our
spiritual life.
But still there is hope. In His great
Prescription Book God has left for our
encouragment some experiences of others
who have passed through just what we
are called upon to endure. There is per-
haps no greater sorrow than that which
can come through bitter experiences In
one's own family, or through the death of
a son or a daughter, father or mother. In
2 Samuel 18:33 and 19: 1-4 we find the
expressions of sorrow uttered by David
over the death of a wayward son. As we
study the life of David, we find that
instead of questioning the justice and
mercy of God, he accepted his great sor-
row, realizing that God in His wisdom
knows what is best. In experiences of this
character John 14: 1-4, 18 and 2 Samuel
2-22 are a very y good prescription.
Sometimes there is sin in the life as was
mentioned in John 5:14 which brings on
a train of complications. In aclmon-
ishing the man whom He had just healed
to go and ‘sin no more, lest a worse
thing come unto’ him, the Saviour em-
phasized the danger of complications even
after one has apparently recovered from
the disease of virulent sin. Psalm 51 1s a
very good outline to follow when one recog-
nizes that there is sin which 1s destroy-
ing his spiritual life. In verses 2 and
3 David cries out, “Wash me throughly
from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from
my sin. For I acknowledge my trans-
gressions: and my sin is ever before me.”
Verses 11 and 17 testify to the fact that
David had discovered the right remedy, for
he says, “Cast me not away from Thy
presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit
from me. . . . The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit: a broken and a contrite
heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”
Paul was aware of this war against evil
and the danger of spiritual death. In
Romans 8:7 we find the reason for this,
and in chapter 7, from verse 14 on, we find
that Paul had discovered a law that, when
he would do good, evil was present. In
verse 24 he cries out, “O wretched man
that I am! Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?” Verse 25 is the
answer: “I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord.”
Instead of lapsing into a complication
brought about by discouragement over the
(Continued on page 18)
Perspiring Feet
What can be done for perspiring feet? C. S.
This condition, which is due to some dis-
turbance of the sympathetic nerves, 1s
more easily handled when affecting the
feet than the hands. Try dusting powdered
boric acid in the stockings at the foot end,
or apply the same to the feet, and at night
soak the feet in either one per cent potas-
sium permanganate in water, or a two per
cent solution of formalin. See that your
general health is built up as much as pos-
sible, and that your diet is high in minerals
and vitamins, and that your elimination is
good.
Colitis
I suffer from colitis.
cure it? D. E. S.
Colitis is a word which, like paint, covers
a multitude of things. However, I take it,
you probably have soreness through the
bowels and passage of some mucus, with a
tendency to constipation. If you take
What can be done to
The DOCTOR REPLIES to HEALTH QUERIES...
Medical and hygienic information of value to the general reader is given here by
Owen S. Parreil, M. D. Inquirers may address the doctor in care of this magazine.
coarse foods like bran, the pain is in-
creased, and the mucus more in evidence.
Colitis is a disease of civilization, caused
by devitalized and demineralized foods,
together with indoor life and high-pressure
living. This then points the way to a cure.
Secure bulkage with high minerals and
vitamins in your diet, and do not be ill ad-
vised to use all white bread and soft,
pappy foods to avoid roughage. Have
your foods so prepared or chew them so
thoroughly that they will not be too
rough; but don’t permit any of the precious
vitamins and minerals to be discarded. A
little wheat germ or rice polish may be
helpful, as well as the taking of extra vita-
mins, such as the A.B.D.G. Capsules, to-
cether with a glass or more of fruit juice
daily. Secure elimination by mechanical
laxatives or an enema, rather than by ca-
thartics which have a drug action. Try to
build your health by walking in the open
air daily, and take some sun baths as you
find opportunity.
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