sciatica varicose veins
Would you like to live to the ripe age of 100? Most of us, or maybe just be happy to stretch our life expectancy by a few years.
But despite all of today's modern medicine, clinical diagnosis and screening techniques, many first-to just over of the Bible three score and ten.
Perhaps, then, the reason that many fail to reach a century – as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, George Burns and Bob Hope – due to the lifestyles we lead. Our bodies are deprived of sunlight, our food is very elaborate and often over-indulge in food and drink and juvenile falling in the exercise.
But this is nothing new – the great debate about healthy living has been since time immemorial. A small book produced in 1900 entitled "How to live 100 years was recently discovered by a qualified nutritionist Elizabeth Harfleet when he was sorting out the belongings of her great aunt Lillie.
Aunt Lillie had always been the book on it and with annotation in him and, surprisingly, managed to live until age 103. An image in the family album shows its centennial birthday in front of a cake and with the local city mayor stood proudly by his side.
The book, with priced at a shilling (the equivalent of 5p today), provided a fascinating variety of cures and remedies, some of which are still relevant today.
The common cold that says "soak your feet in hot mustard and water, hot as it can bear. Wipe it dry and retire to bed." Drink freely an infusion of elder flowers and mint.
For those worried about the freckles of the book suggests "a paste of mustard and lemon juice applied to the face four nights in a row and then removed in the morning. Or try a cup of tea through rain water and two teaspoons of borax powder and wash skin twice a day.
For those suffering from PMT, the book says: "Ladies who have used the following to say they have never found anything like it. Radish grated spicy, medium teacupful, good gin, a pint. Half a tablespoon three times a day.
Other resources include:
Sciatica: Oil Wintergreen has proved more effective. Dose – five or six drops of sugar before each meal and before bedtime. It was recently discovered that turpentine relieve sciatica is in its worst form, but must be used with caution.
Measles: Keep your child in bed in a light diet and get a packet of saffron and half an ounce of hyssop. Infused with a pint of boiling water, sweeten with honey or molasses to give a black and dessert spoonful every two hours.
Jaundice: Bark Fringe tree is the most effective in this complaint. After taking this a few days, a man writes: "In a few days my appetite began to improve and my skin very rapidly cleared in about ten days and had left my jaundice.
Boils, bunions and Anthrax: treating elm.
Nosebleed: This is an alarming symptom, but not always dangerous. A good remedy is simply to raise the arms of the person.
Nervous headaches: Apply hot water to the temples and the back of the neck.
Elizabeth Harfleet, 46, who is a qualified nutritionist and lives in Manchester, England, said: "It was just a girl when Aunt Lillie was alive, although I remember going to the centennial celebration.
"We must remember that in his youth had National Service Health and would have to pay to get the doctor. She was surrounded by nature, so no wonder he turned to natural cures. "
He added: "You can not argue with the fact that she lived to 103, especially since she was diagnosed with breast cancer at a time when very little is known about the disease. "
Aunt Lillie, however enjoy the occasional treat – the end of her life she would ask the nurse at home to take a slice of apple pie and cheese to his room at midnight. That, at least, seems to prove the theory: a little of what you want to do well.
Tim Barlass is a publisher of forgotten titles that would otherwise be unavailable. You can learn more about this book at http://howtolive100years.com
He has also published ‘Somme – The Diary of a Very Unimportant Officer’ available at http://grandfathersgreatwar.com
Backward bend
