Doctor, Did I Understand You To Say That No Cold Water Or Cold Drink Should Betaken Soon After Meals?

"Well, not only should no cold water be taken, but no cold drink of any kind should be taken at meal time nor before digestion is completed."

"Why, I supposed the cold drinks would keep the food from souring too quickly and consequently be a good thing."

"You must have been reading about the animals of prehistoric races, said to have been preserved for several thousand years by being frozen. The fact is, the water cannot remain cold in the stomach, and if it did there would be no digestion and no use of taking food at all. As soon as the ice cold drinks are poured in, digestion stops until the temperature can be brought up to normal heat. This has a tendency to exhaust the working capacity of the stomach and if the cold drinks are repeated with great frequency, the stomach becomes permanently enlarged and digestion is paralyzed. This is one of the principal reasons why so many people are unwell and have diarrhoeas and lack force and energy in hot weather."

Then Cold Drinks Are Worse In Hot Weather Than In Cold Weather?

"The principal is just the same, only the system is more ennervated in hot weather and the inclination to take cold drinks when we are warm is much greater than at other times; therefore, the injury from cold drinks is much more common in hot weather."

"I have noticed that many people drink hot water, while some say it is best to drink noticing at all during meals."

"Clear hot water is occasionally a useful agent for such ailments as result from acute indigestion and where there is no chronic enlargement of the stomach. Hot water drinking having been advocated originally for a few minor ailments, has been taken up by the multitude as a cure-all for every disease of the digestive organs. We can consequently call it a fad and a pernicious one at that. It is used ignorantly in many ailments where it acts as a direct irritant. Its most potently evil effects have been witnessed in those of a highly nervous temperament known as neurotics who have extremely irritable stomachs. To such it seems to act as a temporary sedative but in reality it produces a hyper-sensitive condition of the mucous membrane, which in time prevents the proper digestion of solid foods and has a tendency to add to an already over burdened nervous condition resultiug in enervation and prostration. There are also unknown conditions of ulcerations of the stomach where hot water often produces severe hemorrhages. These are only a few conditions in which the miscellaneous and indiscreet use of hot water has an evil effect.

There are others too numerous to mention, but these will suffice to put the public on guard against foolishly and ignorantly aping a fad."

If There Be Harm In Drinking Hot Water Under What Conditions Can It Be Used With Benefit?

A few instances where hot water may be successfully used are as follows: If upon awaking in the morning you find a sensation of fullness in the stomach, a heavily coated tongue, a slightly acid condition of the saliva you may know that your previous meal has left more or less of sour ferment in the stomach: Now, if you will drink-half tea cup of hot water it will clear the mucous mem brane of excess of acid, mucus and debrie remaining from the previous meal, making the stomach fresh and sweet for the morning meal. The principle upon which this acts is as follows: People who invariable eat three meals a day do not always completely empty their stomachs. Now the indigested portion of the previous meal remaining in the stomach undergoes a certain amount of fermentation, and if another meal be added without first clearing the stomach, the sour ferment remaing from the previous meal, has a tendency to decay the fresh food of the succeeding meal, thereby generating abnormal fermentation and gases which distend the stomach, with symptons of flushed countenance, slight palpitation of the heart and much discomfort.

This is what is usually known as indigestion."

Is There Any Way To Make Hot Water More Palatable?

"Yes, it can be made much more agreeable to the taste to take boiling water and agitate it like making lemonade.

If too disagreeable to the taste, a little milk may be added."

What If It Is Not Convenient To Get Hot Water, Doctor?

"Then cold water may be drank a half hour before meals or especially at bed time."

There Is A Popular Notion Abroad That Hot Water Is A Good Drink At Meal Time?

"Well, it's only relatively good, that is, it is not as bad as most drinks such as tea and coffee, but it has no especial merit to recommend it; on the contrary, any kind of fluid dilutes the digestive juices and makes digestion more difficult. The only so-called hot water drinks at meal time that may be said to have any merit is when as much milk is added as there is volume of water. Water makes the milk more easily digested and the merit may properly be said to be in the milk. Of course, if circumstances make it necessary to drink at meal times or not at all, hot water is the least objectionable, but it has no medicinal effect of importance, unless taken long enough before meals to allow it to escape from the stomach."

About What Temperature Should Hot Water Be Drank?

"Ordinarily from 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, never hot enough to scald the membranes. The notion that boiling hot water is necessary is a grievous mistake."