the friend doctor talks . something hot , something cold . more than half my work consists of dealing with stomach trouble . and I know that very nearly all of it could so easily be avoided . cultivate a good digestion and you &apos;ll not only feel better physically . you &apos;ll live longer . right away , let me say you do n&apos;t need to be fussy about your diet . just take heed of a few simple rules . here &apos;s a most important one for dinner-time . whether it &apos;s winter or summer have something hot and something cold . an all-cold lunch is bad for you . it stuns the stomach . your digestion is out of action for hours . an all-hot meal in winter is almost as bad . you need a cold sweet to even up the inside temperature . do n&apos;t shut your eyes to the fact that some of the tastiest foods are pretty indigestible . I &apos;m not going to be a spoilsport and tell you to cut them out . but try not to overdo these things : - hot buttered toast . the fat seals off the bread and the gastric juice can n&apos;t get to work . the toast will lie on your stomach three times as long as plain bread . so try to make do with just one slice . there &apos;s no doubt that cheese is a grand food . but have you any idea how much you should have at a time ? it &apos;s a piece the size of a small matchbox . any more and you &apos;ve only yourself to blame if you get indigestion . and the fancier the cheese the less you need . pork is one of the hardest foods to digest . it &apos;s a five-hour job for the stomach , so a little is enough . and here &apos;s an idea to help avoid any ill-effects . next time you have pork make a point of having stewed fruit in the meal . the fruit peps up the gastric juices and helps the digestion enormously . the most indigestible fruit is the pear that is n&apos;t quite ripe . and warn your children not to go eating green , unripened apples . they can make a youngster ill for days , and it &apos;s no exaggeration to say the stomach may never fully recover . I &apos;ve cured quite a few patients of the kind of indigestion that gives you a blown-up feeling . it &apos;s nearly always caused by drinking with a meal , so try not to wash your food down . and when you do have a glass of water do n&apos;t swallow it at one gulp . finally , you can have a good , sound digestion if you &apos;ll only remember to chew every mouthful of food twenty times . it &apos;s time to check your weight . there &apos;s one thing I &apos;d like everyone to do this week . weigh yourself ! this is the most important time of the year to check up . do n&apos;t worry if you &apos;re a bit underweight . that &apos;s natural . but if the scales show a pound or two extra , then take this warning . if you &apos;ve a tendency to fat , it &apos;s in the summer you put on weight that &apos;s going to be there for good ! what &apos;s more , it &apos;s important to know where the extra poundage has gone . round the waist line is worst of all . stand erect and pull in the stomach . if you still bulge round the middle , then it &apos;s high time you did something about it . fat is not a solid thing . it tends to flow where the skin is loose . so if you &apos;re out of condition and your stomach muscles are flabby - that &apos;s where the fat goes . stomach fat goes to two areas - around the bowel and below the liver . and when this part of the system is hampered and clogged , the breathing suffers . but here &apos;s the biggest danger . when there &apos;s no more room round the middle , the fat can go straight to the heart . women are the worst sufferers from breathlessness due to fat . if a man becomes breathless he &apos;s pretty quick to see a doctor . but women seem to take it for granted . another area where fat can be dangerous is in the arteries . anyone suffering from overweight risks the fat lingering in the bloodstream . because of this you should never ignore a pounding in the heart or a throbbing of the head if you &apos;re overweight . if you do , you may be risking coronary thrombosis . you may be surprised to learn that fat can be dangerous on the hands and feet . this is n&apos;t common . but the moment a grown-up discovers she needs a bigger size in shoes and gloves - see a doctor . thick ankles are not always due to mere fat . often varicose veins are to blame . the safest place for fat is on the arms . it helps to keep the muscles in shape . fat round the neck is not so frightening as you might believe . whether the fat is at the back or under the chin , the excess will n&apos;t do any harm so long as there is n&apos;t too much of it . the first signs of a thick neck affecting health are headaches and irritability . these indicate blood pressure . by far the luckiest folk are the ones with a thin layer of overall fat . they can stand both cold and hot weather , because the fat under the skin helps control the body temperature . little signs I do n&apos;t like to see . I did n&apos;t like the look of a patient who came to see me a few evenings ago . he &apos;d rushed to the surgery and was breathing heavily . but it was n&apos;t that which disturbed me . it was the time he took to recover . if you &apos;re under 25 you should get your breath back in one minute . under 45 I &apos;d say two minutes . up to 65 the breathing should be easier inside four minutes . what are the other little signs a doctor does n&apos;t like to see ? when a woman comes to me complaining of tiredness and breathlessness , the shape of her ankles can tell me a lot . if her ankles have been steadily getting thicker I suspect trouble with the heart . but when there &apos;s no breathlessness and no general fatigue then the ankles have simply thickened with too much standing or walking . folk over 45 would do well to watch the veins at the side of their necks . these veins stand out pretty far when you &apos;re bursting with anger or physical exertion . but when the anger dies away or the exertion is over these veins should subside . if they do n&apos;t I &apos;ve a suspicion the heart is congested and overtaxed . the heart has another way to tell the world it &apos;s under strain . the pulse beats at the side of the neck just where a man &apos;s collar is . maybe you &apos;ve noticed this yourself in a person full of suppressed excitement - usually someone who takes a pride in self-control . well , self-control is n&apos;t always good for health . the body &apos;s normal reactions do n&apos;t like being suppressed . secret worry and suppressed emotion affect the heart , and in many cases this shows in the pulse beat I mentioned . occasionally I notice my patient has a quiver round the mouth or lip . this indicates nervous strain . no matter how you try to control yourself , the muscles round the mouth are first to give way . I once warned a patient he was due for an attack of lumbago unless he was careful . but how can you tell ? he asked . it &apos;s quite easy , I told him . you &apos;re walking at a slight forward angle . that tells me your back muscles are taxed and uncomfortable . they &apos;re fighting the lumbago . bloodlessness is n&apos;t so easy to detect as you might imagine . you can look as fit as a fiddle and yet be bloodless . my test rarely fails . I look - not at the lips , which can be deceptive - but at the ear lobes . I can learn a lot when the light is shining through the lobes from behind . I do n&apos;t like to see the lobes pale or dull pink . the richer the colour the better . when there &apos;s nothing better than a poultice . you know that awful feeling you get about two o&apos;clock in the morning , when you have a pain that will n&apos;t let you get to sleep . a patient of mine had a pain like that in her shoulder . it gnawed and gnawed for hours . at last she got up in desperation . there was no fire and she was out of aspirins . do you know what she did ? she opened the oven door , lit the gas , and then sat in front of it . the heat certainly eased the pain . but if only she &apos;d known she could have been lying comfortably in bed getting the same relief . all she had to do was to make an old-fashioned poultice . a home-made bread poultice can work wonders . just cut one slice of bread about an inch thick . roll it in gauze muslin or thin cotton . dip it into hot water then wring out . the secret is to do it gently . the poultice should never be dripping wet . then test it for heat on the back of the hand . mould the poultice over the painful part and make sure it extends three inches all round beyond the pain . finally cover the lot with a piece of old flannel , cotton wool , or a double thickness of lint . why does a poultice do the trick so well ? well , it dilates the blood vessels . it draws blood to the painful area . this in turn restores the damaged tissue and carries away harmful poison . and there &apos;s nothing like a poultice to help you get to sleep . when you &apos;re in pain all the muscles round the area tighten up and make the pain worse . but the poultice slackens off this muscle tension , and half your battle for sleep is won . of all ailments I think chest troubles get most relief from a poultice . bad bronchitis can be specially distressing . yet a poultice can ease the breathing and loosen the tightness in the chest . but , remember , children or anyone who is frail should not have the poultice on the chest . the weight might restrict the breathing . so for these folk put the poultice across the shoulders , just below the shoulder blades . the biggest poultice of all is needed for pleurisy . it should start under the armpit and go down almost to the waist . of course , the best poultice of all is the kaolin variety - if it &apos;s fresh and moist . but you can take comfort in the fact that you need never be stuck - so long as you have a slice of bread in the house . seven golden rules for the winter . now &apos;s the time a lot of my patients ask me the same question . how is it , doctor , that you manage to keep so clear of colds every winter ? they think I have some special medicine , but I do n&apos;t . all I do is follow these golden rules : - 1 . when the first frosts come start the day with porridge and milk . the lime in the oatmeal and in the milk is good for the circulation . it &apos;s specially good for anyone plagued with chilblains . but the porridge does more . that mass of warm oatmeal in your stomach is central heating at its best . you will n&apos;t feel the cold so much on your way to work . you will n&apos;t chill so easily standing for a bus . 2 . never go out on a winter &apos;s morning with an empty or cold stomach . if you do , the blood has to rush inwards to warm up the stomach . there &apos;s less blood for the outer areas , and that can mean a chill . 3 . always keep on the move . if you pop your finger quickly in and out of cold water you &apos;ll hardly feel the cold . keep the finger in for a longer time and it will freeze . in the same way you can walk along wet roads without becoming chilled . but you &apos;re asking for trouble if you stand around for a gossip . 4 . in cold weather a little exercise is the best defence against rheumatism - particularly fibrositis . there &apos;s no need for special exercises . simply stretch yourself . wiggle your hands and toes . the older you are the less strenuous the exercises should be . but even if you &apos;re over seventy , do try to get your muscles moving . 