Basic HTML Version
16
The
PLAIN TRUTH
March-April L972
to gangrene, and eventual amputation. Many youthful drug
users are unaware of the serionsness of the barbiturate habit,
due to the publicity given heroin and marijuana and the
example of their parents who
use
barbiturates.
This alarming news should move parents to think twice
about using barbiturates, or about keeping them in the medi–
cine cabinet.
•
Wine in Moderation
The 4postle Paul advised young Timothy to "use a
little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities"
( 1 Tim. 5:23). According to many recent articles from pro–
fessional journals, the advice is stil.l sound.
The National Federation of Licensed Practica! Nurses
supports the use of wine with hospital dinners, saying,
"Patients seem more alert, respond favorably to their environ–
ment and seem less introspective." In
Bedside Nune,
their
offi.cial publication, the organization of nurses reported that
the "therapeutic advantages of wine are being recognized
and used by physicians and institutions around the country."
Wine in moderation is useful as a natural mild tran–
quilizer, due to its alcoholic content, but wine is also a
food
- a source of energy - and can be "especially suitable for
cardiac patients, diabetics, and the elderly," according to one
professional health-care magazine.
Natural dry red wine
(12%
alcohol), still in the aging
process, is the best therapeutic wine to buy. It is not only
healthful, but also an economical gourmet treat when con–
sumed in moderation.
•
Protect Yourself From Lightning
Lightning is a common phenomenon, lashing out sorne
600 times every second somewhere around the world.
It
is
also a potential killer, causing more direct deaths than any
other weather phenomenon: 600 fatalities and 1500 injuries
in the U. S. alone each year. Here are sorne tips on how
not
to become a lightning rod:
The most dangerous places to be during an electrical
storm are
in
an open .field, on the beach, fishing from a
small boat, standing under an isolated tree or shelter, or
otherwise projecting alone above the surrounding landscape.
Lightning seeks such "loners" protruding skyward.
Also stay dear of wire fences, overground pipes, rails,
and other potentially hazardous lightning conductors. Avoid
bathing or showering at home, or using plugged-in electrical
appliances that are of metaHic construction.
The best shelters to seek refuge in during an electrical
storm are metal frame buildings or those with a lightning
rod system. Your car ( if it's not a convertible), with the
windows rolled up, will also offer you safe protection from
lightning.
•
Watch Your Child's Eyesight
March 1-7 was Save Your Vision Week
in
the United
States. While usually considered an adult problem, visual
problems plague about 40 percent of U. S.
children.
Of
these, only 9 percent receive treatment in time.
The Society for the Prevention of Blindness revealed
that less than half of the 50 states have vision-testing pro–
grams. To add to this, few parents think of having their
children's eyes examined until high school!
Ophthalmologists feel that parents should take children
to get an eye examinat ion at the same age a child first goes to
the dentist. Such early attention should especially be given to
prematurely born babies, twins, infants who had a difficult
birth, and those with a family history of eye defects.
A common early disorder is amblyopia, a condition in
which one eye is strong aod the other weak. This can be cor–
rected if spotted early, but may be impossible to correct after
age 6. A few other warning signs to watch for include ex–
cessive blinking, frequent rubbiag of eyes, squioting, frequent
stumbling, ultra-sensitivity to light, inflamed or watery eyes,
and inability to recognize familiar words, letters, and objects
at a reasonable distance.
If
these signs develop, a thorough
eye examination at age 3 to
5
is in order.
•
Selecting Proper Toys
When selecting toys for a child of any age, one should
ask: "ls the play in the
toy, oc
is the play in the
child?"
The
proper toy stimulates play
in
the child. A poor toy is one
that operates itself, such as a windup car.
Toys that play
111ith
children indude wooden blocks,
puzzles, or toy houses. Blocks, for instance, can be used many
ways. The child can form words and numbers or pretend
that the blocks represent other objects.
On the other hand, the real play in a windup car is in
the works of the car, not in the child. He winds it up, and
that's it; the car does the rest. Only by disassembling and
rebuilding the car does the child become actively involved
r
And such activity is not recommended.
The following is a simple guide of other principies to
consider when choosing toys:
l.
Is the toy fun? This obvious point is often for–
gotten.
2. Is the toy
safe?
It should be obviously safe, or
underwritten by a toy safety committee.
3. Is the child ready for the toy mentally and physi-
cally?
4.
Will the toy last until the child has exhausted its
uses?
5. Will the toy develop worthwhile, constructive
traits in the child?
6. Does the toy relate to previous experiences and
interests? In other words, a map puzzle could relate to the
child's home, grandparents' home, and locations of other
friends and experiences of the child.
7. But, above all, does the toy bring play
out
of the
child, or is the play only in the toy?