DIET AND ARTHRITIS

fabulously profitable. The Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation estimates that you and others equally prayerful for relief from pain and crippling, spend more than $250 million a year on such useless cures as filtered sea water, "immune" milk, alfalfa tablets, "glorified aspirin" and similar concoctions-all rejected by medical science.

The tab for such misplaced hope comes to around $50 a year for the average arthritis sufferer. That's a lot of cold cash down the drain.

Then doesn't it make sense to take that $50 and spend it profitably on good food instead of on "magic," on sound nutrition instead of on expensive quackery? Then your !

chances of resisting or enduring arthritis will be increased~

At the same time, you will get more eating pleasure out of life.

The safest policy is to avoid any concoction, food or medication that promises you more than temporary relief from minor pain. Any so-called "sure cure" is a fake.

Beware advertisements that tout "special" food supplements and vitamin preparations either as cures or necessary for arthritis sufferers. Your doctor, not the advertiser, is the one to decide whether or not you need food supplements or vitamin pills. Your doctor will warn you also against concoctions such as honey and apple cider vinegar, royal jelly and many other unproved remedies for arthritis.

The tragedy in the arthritic's reliance on quackery and falsely advertised cures is two-fold. This futile self-medication often delays his getting valid medical treatment. Such delays can result in unnecessary crippling and suffering.

Today, the medical profession uses modern drugs and other forms of therapy that do help arthritis patients. Physicians are aware of every new research development useful in the treatment of arthritis. But you will never find modern

drugs or therapies advertised

in newspapers or magazines

or on radio or television

Furthermore, doctors lament

this waste of money on useless and extravagantly advertised preparations. They know that if some of that money was spent on adequate and pleasurable meals, the results would help fortify the patient's body and emotions against the pain

and crippling of the disease. !

NUTRITION SERVICES ON

DIET PROBLEMS

Whenever you need further information about nutrition or assistance with a diet prescribed by your physician, call upon the nutrition unit of your local or state health department, or the local chapter of The Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation.

For general information on nutrition, food purchasing, meal planning and food preparation, help may be available from your local health department. Some cities now also have a Dial-a-Dietitian program sponsored by local dietetic associations. Questions about nutrition and food are phoned in to a central exchange and later a reply will be received from a qualified dietitian. The home economics teacher in your high school or the local extension home economist also can answer your questions on budget-minded food buying, storage of food and food preparation.

If you have a special diet prescribed by your physician and need more assistance, ask your doctor to refer you to a professionally qualified nutritionist, dietitian or public health nurse. In some communities, a special diet counseling service helps patients who are referred by their physician. In other communities the nutritionist in the health department or the dietitian in the community hospital can help you. Many visiting nurse or public health nursing agencies have a qualified nutrition consultant on their staffs to assist the nurses in providing guidance on diets to patients in their homes.  the end