The Canadian Practitioner and Review, Vol. 31

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Excerpt from The Canadian Practitioner and Review, Vol. 31: January to December, 1906 In treating insomnia, we have, then, first of all to consider the remedies which bear upon the circulation. Where the arteries are atheromatous we must restore their contractility, if possible, by means of iodide of potassium and of massage, and this method is sometimes very efficacious. Under it I have seen the carotids of an elderly lady, which previously appeared to be as hard and rigid as tobacco - pipe stems, become comparatively soft and elastic, whilst the patient regained, to a corresponding extent, the power to sleep which she had lost. Where the arterial tension is very high, as in cases of arterio-sclerosis or contracting kidney, the high-frequency current is sometimes useful by lowering the blood pressure. We must remove sources of local irritation, relieve pain if it be present, warm the feet or other parts of the body by hot bags or bottles, if necessary, or else by friction. In cases where indigestion produces insomnia, we should give no food during four hours or more before sleeping time, or, if this is found to be disadvantageous, the food should be of the lightest description. Where ¿atulence and acidity prevent sleep, some bicarbonate of soda and peppermint is sometimes more effica cious than a sleeping - draught. Occasionally, when the whole body gets too hot and the circulation excited, merely getting out of bed and walking a few times round the room to get cool will allow the patient to obtain sleep. When the skin is uncomfortable from dryness, want of elasticity or the presence of waste products, a hot bath or hot sponging, fol lowed by very gentle drying, will sometimes bring on sleep. Where the feet are persistently cold and not relieved even by a hot bag, putting them in cold water, rubbing them hard until they are red, then drying with a warm, soft towel, may relieve. The splanchnic area is able to contain a large quantity of blood, and one may sometimes, as it were, bleed into this area, and lessen the circulation in the brain by dilating the vessels of the intestine and stomach. This may be done by the external application of a hot bag to the abdomen, or, still better, by a wet compress, or by the introduction into the12 treatment OF sleeplessness and pain. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.