Ask Whatever You Wish — In The Woman's Voice Clinic

The Woman's Voice returns, dear reader, to resume this section, and will answer all the questions of health, education, and social life addressed to it — on the understanding that the questions will be referred to specialists, so as to be sure of offering answers as close as possible to the correct. So, Madam, hasten now to send in whatever questions you please.

Q — Is there a definition of the complete food?
A — The complete food is a chosen quantity that adds to a person's nourishment and gives him everything his organs require, and it must be clean, free of living germs and of chemical additives that would lead to the impairment of one of the body's organs or reduce the value of the food.

Q — Is there calcium in cheese and in ices ("ice cream") in the same measure as milk contains?
A — Yes; it is understood that the calcium is equivalent in these three sources.

Q — I have a drop in my blood count, and I was told that I cannot give my blood to the sick; what is the way to a cure?
A — You must consult your own doctor to see whether the low count in the blood results from a weakness of the blood due to poor nutrition, or from a deficiency of iron. If that is the cause, he will no doubt advise you to increase the nourishing foods that contain an ample quantity of iron, such as liver, heart, kidneys, red meat, eggs, vegetables and dried beans, chicken, and dried fruits.

Q — How can nourishment be added to bread?
A — There are two basic methods for this. The nutrients may be mixed with the flour at the mill, and the bread made from it will also pass through various stages during which the nutrients are added to it, before it is baked. The second method is to mix into the dough a wafer of these nutrients, a quarter of an ounce in size for every hundred loaves, supplying it with "thiamine," "niacin," and iron.

Q — Does replacing sugar with natural syrups such as honey and the like prevent the decay of the teeth?
A — No. Tests have shown that there is no difference in the effect on the teeth either way, provided the brush is used well and the mouth is rinsed after every meal. This easy, beneficial method is the most effective means of warding off the decay of the teeth.

Q — Is there a difference between hunger and appetite?
A — Yes. Hunger is the feeling of the body's natural demand for food: one feels pangs in the stomach, or something like faintness; hunger is painful and distressing. Appetite, on the other hand, lies in a person's natural inclination and desire for food; appetite is governed by habit, and is aroused by the sight or smell of appetizing food.