Section
10
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PERITONITIS—1
SYMPTOMS—Severe abdominal pain and tenderness, rigidity of the abdominal muscles, fever, rapid pulse, sunken eyes, vomiting, and a pinched expression of the face.
CAUSES—Peritonitis is serious and frequently fatal. Take the person to the hospital.
It is caused by blows, stab wounds, gunshot wounds, complication of a surgical operation, appendicitis, childbirth, or ovarian disease.
Less common is chronic peritonitis, also called tuberculosis peritonitis. This is tubercular in origin, and shows little pain or fever and few symptoms other than great emaciation, loss of strength, and fluid in the abdominal cavity.
TREATMENT—
• Use warm, whole, baths or warm, wet, packs over the abdomen. A castor oil pack is also good.
• If there is pain, take a slippery elm retention enema every morning.
• Go on a 3-day carrot juice fast or a diet of oatmeal gruels, lentil and barley soup, and other potassium fruits and vegetables.
• During the inflammatory stage, avoid eating. Instead, drink as much slippery elm tea as possible, sipping it continually.
• Helpful herb teas include bryonia, pleurisy root, and aconite.
• Once past the critical stage, drink comfrey root tea every 3-4 hours, along with echinacea tablets.
• If the condition is tuberculosis peritonitis, the patient should be treated as for tuberculosis (which see).
—Also see "Peritonitis—2," "Appendicitis," and "Tuberculosis."
ENCOURAGEMENT—Jesus cares for each one, as though there were not another in the whole world. You can trust your case with Him. He will not fail you. Your only danger is in leaving His side, to follow after the luring temptations Satan offers you.
PERITONITIS—2 (J.H. Kellogg, M.D., Formulas)
PERITONITIS (ACUTE) —
DIETETIC FACTORS—Rest in bed, fluid diet, fruit juice without sugar, gruels of dextrinized or malted cereals, withhold food for 24-48 hours.
ALBUMIN IN URINE—Hot Blanket Pack and other sweating measures to maintain cutaneous activity, repeated every 2-4 hours.
FEVER—Hot Blanket Pack, followed by Cold Mitten Friction; prolonged Neutral Bath, Fomentation to abdomen with Cooling Wet Sheet Pack at the same time.
GENERAL ASPECTS—Enema at 800 F., repeating, to remove gas. Fomentation every 2 hours for 15-20 minutes. During interval between, apply Heating Compress at 600 F., changing every 5 minutes while the body temperature is elevated, less frequently as temperature falls. Copious water drinking; prolonged Neutral bath; cold Compress or Ice Bag over heart for 15 minutes, 2-3 times a day, for cardiac weakness.
PREVENT OBSTRUCTION—Large enema 3 times a day from beginning, temperature 750 F.
CONTRAINDICATIONS—Same as Chronic form, just below.
PERITONITIS (CHRONIC) —
GENERAL ASPECTS—Aseptic dietary, liquid diet. Hot Enema followed by Fomentation to abdomen for 20 minutes, 3 times daily; well-protected Heating Compress during the interval between. Copious water drinking; graduated cold applications (Tonic Frictions), twice daily. If temperature is elevated, Neutral Bath half an hour to an hour daily.
CONTRAINDICATIONS—Avoid Cold Full Baths, Prolonged Cold Douche, Cold Pail Pour, Cold Wet Sheet Rub, and Cold Sitz.
PERITONITIS (PELVIC), CELLULITIS —
BASIC CONSIDERATIONS—Surgical and puerperal asepsis, care to avoid exposures at menstrual periods, protection of feet and legs in damp and cold weather, proper clothing.
INCREASE RESISTANCE—Cold Mitten Friction or Cold Towel Rub 2-4 times a day, protecting pelvic viscera by simultaneous Hot Foot Pack or Hot Foot and Leg Pack or by hot water bottle to sacrum and Cold Compress over stomach area.
COMBAT LOCAL INFLAMMATION—Hot Hip and Leg Pack 20 minutes every 2 hours; during intervals between, Cold Compress at 600 F. to area over stomach, pudenda and inner surfaces of thighs, with heat to feet and legs or ice bag over seat of pain; hot water bottles or Fomentations to feet, hips and thighs; hot and cold pelvic compress with ice bag over seat of pain, continue 20-40 minutes and repeat when needed; hot vaginal irrigation at 1100-1200 F., one gallon, every 4 hours.
ENCOURAGE RESOLUTION—After the acute stage has passed, apply Alternate Compress for 30 minutes, 3 times a day; during interval, Heating Compresses, changing every 2 hours or as soon as well-warmed; Graduated Baths for tonic purposes; alternate vaginal irrigation (1100, 800 to 700 F.); later, pelvic massage.
PAIN—Fomentation or Revulsive Compress every 2-4 hours or oftener, if necessary.
CONSTIPATION—Large Hot Enemas, twice a day, during acute pain and inflammation; later, graduated Cold Enema.
CHILL—Anticipate chill by wrapping her in warm blankets with hot bags to trunk and limbs; hot water drinking.
SEPTlC FEVER—Add to local measures, if fever is high, Hot Blanket Pack 10-15 minutes, followed by sweating Wet Sheet Pack, Prolonged Neutral Bath. If suppuration (pussing) occurs, surgical interference is generally indicated.
CAUTIONS—Avoid Cold Baths; instead use partial cold applications, such as the Cold Mitten Friction and the Cold Towel Rub.
—Also see "Peritonitis—1."
PELVIC CONGESTION (J.H. Kellogg, M.D., Formulas)
BASIC APPLICATIONS—Graduated cold applications; hot vaginal irrigation, 10-15 minutes, twice daily; Hot Blanket Pack to legs with cold pelvic pack (Wet Sheet Pack over pelvic area), continued to sweating stage, followed by cold friction or Wet Sheet Rub.
PAIN—Prolonged Neutral Sitz Bath at 950-970 F., for 15-20 minutes.
LEUKORRHEA—In addition to the above measures, antiseptic vaginal irrigation. In certain cases, cool irrigation, at 750-650 F., produces better results than hot irrigation. Constipation and portal congestion must be relieved. Cervical catarrh and erosions often require the use of the curette [a spoon-shaped scraping instrument for scraping foreign matter from a cavity].
ACUTE INFLAMMATION—If attacks of inflammation occur, rest in bed; Hot Hip or Leg Pack; hot and cold pelvic compress or hot and cold pelvic pack.
PELVIC PAIN (J.H. Kellogg, M.D., Formulas)
BASIC FACTORS—Remove all known causes: tight bands around the waist, tight shoes, cold extremities, sexual excess.
GENERAL APPLICATIONS—Rest in a horizontal position, with proper general treatment for any existing general or local morbid condition, as anemia, neurasthenia, hysteria, enteroptosis, constipation, or any discoverable pelvic disease. If caused by neuralgia: Give hot Hip and Leg Pack or very hot Revulsive Sitz, 3 times a day; hot water bottle over seat of pain and heat to feet and legs. Very hot vaginal irrigation.
If due to chronic congestion in a pelvic organ: Hot Hip and Leg Pack every 2-4 hours, with abdominal Heating Compress and heating leg packs during the interval between.
If due to inflammation or acute congestion: Hot Hip and Leg Pack or Hot and Cold Pelvic Pack every 2-4 hours, followed by continuous heat to legs with cooling compress to lower abdomen, external genitals and inner surfaces of thighs. Vaginal irrigation at 1050 F. for 15 minutes, every 3 hours. Apply Ice Bag over seat of pain during the hot vaginal irrigation and Hot Hip and Leg Pack.
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