PUSHING BACK AGE
like regular hydrochloric acid could. The stomach becomes a
haven for Salmonellas and other bacteria and this is the biggest
digestive plague of the elderly. Salmonellas dig deep into the
stomach wall, safe from antibiotics and stomach acid and aren't
washed away with the food. When they take over the region near
the top of the stomach, it weakens the esophageal sphincter and
food keeps coming back up a bit—a most uncomfortable
development, especially after supper or when lying down.
When the Salmonellas spread out further to invade the dia-
phragm around the sphincter, the diaphragm weakens, and lets a
bit of the stomach up through the hole.
This causes hiatal hernia distress. Don't settle your loved
one in an easy chair after supper. This presses the stomach up-
ward and the food up, too. Leave them sitting at the table a while,
then walk a bit, to get the food down lower. The food will sink
lower if some of it can leave the stomach at the lower pyloric
end. But if Salmonellas are entrenched here, too, the lower end
does not have enough action to push the food through the valve.
Drugs like ReglanTM are given to speed this up.
What helps most is getting digestion completed. This sets up
the natural cues for emptying. Digestive enzyme tablets have been
in popular use to help digestion. But they may not be safe since
they have not been sterilized. Always try the vinegar and honey
method first. Coughing during eating is a sign that the diaphragm
is irritated (by a hiatal hernia). If drinking water starts the
coughing, omit it at the beginning of meals. Work in sips during
the meal.
Salmonella and Shigella...........................................................
Some Salmonella infections can bring dizziness to your eld-
erly person. Dizziness is another plague of the elderly, keeping
them from going shopping, getting to church and even from getting
around their own homes. Drugs such as AntivertTM are