European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes saturday september 17, 1977 modern Medicine there Ore Many cause Sand cures for Side stitch by Michael j. Halberstam one of the More mundane miseries of humanity is Side stitch. It is the particular Bane of runners although basketball soccer and Tennis players also succumb. The stitch prone include motorcycle riders speedboat Drivers jockeys Camel riders pregnant women and the physically unfit. Practitioners of the smoother sports swimming rowing and bicycling Seldom get Side stitch Side stitch usually starts As a Dull ache and graduates to a Sharp pain just under the ribs on the right Side or sometimes on the left Side or across the upper Abdomen or across the lower Abdomen or High in the ribs or atop the shoulder that is to say in a lot of places. The classic heart attack by contrast usually causes pain in the Center of the Chest and is accompanied by symptoms such As weakness and nausea. The person with Side stitch does not really feel  physicians believe Side Stich is a Charley horse or spasm of the diaphragm the dome like muscle that divides the Chest and Abdomen. According to this theory the pro longed heavy breathing in vigorous sports causes air to become trapped in the tiny Bron Chial tubes deep in the lungs. This overfilling of the lungs it is thought stretches the diaphragm and causes it to go into spasm or cramp. A related theory holds that Gas trapped on the Side of the Colon part of the Large intes Tine pressures the diaphragm from below or a corollary the Colon itself goes into spasm from trapped Gas or focal matter. Faulty breathing is sometimes blamed for Side stitch. Rather than inhale so that their . Action against drug firms would hike costs expert says los Angeles up a University of Miami economist says pharmaceutical companies earn a higher profit than other Indus tries but any attempt to break up Large pharmaceutical firms would Force Consumers to pay higher drug costs. Kenneth w. Clarkson professor of economics Law at the University of Miami school of Law also denied that he is an apologist for the Industry. Clarkson commenting Friday at a Urcla health conference said he had been disturbed by comments attributed to hew Secretary Joseph Califano saying there was no Competition in the drug manufacturing Industry and that profits were too High. He said breaking up the Large firms would not increase Competition but would result in drug shortages that would Force prices up. He also said he opposed any new regulations or Price ceilings. These measures will Only cause the costs of drugs to the consumer to Rise he said. Clarkson said a study he did from 1959 to 1973 showed that pharmaceutical profits were not excessive. He said the profit margin for pharmaceuticals was 12.9 per cent compared to 9.6 per cent for other industries including food electrical machinery paper and motor vehicles. Profits unadjusted for research develop ment and promotion costs were 18.3 per cent for pharmaceutical companies compared to 11.2 per cent for other industries. Profits Aren t that big he said. You cannot get a True picture of the actual profits if you just look at the annual returns. You get a biased picture that Way. You have to look at the corrected returns and you will find that the rates of return Are not really that  fatigue not hormone upset May be cause of Jet lag Birmingham England up scientists would like to take the easy Way out and say that Jet lag is due to confused hormones but it seems More Likely to be simply the result of fatigue and environmental stress according to a report to the British association for the advancement of science. Prof. . Daly of the University of Man Chester recounted an Experiment in which a group of volunteers after exhaustive tests were taken on a 15-hour flight to California and then Back again after five Days. They arrived in California at 9 30 . But their biological clocks the level of plasma cortisol in the blood registered 6 30 a.m.,Daly said. It took about four Days for the plasma to return nearly to its Normal rhythm. After the flight Back to England the cortisol rhythm was still grossly abnormal five Days after the West to East journey. Bellies Rise backward breathers draw in their bellies breathe from the Chest and fur ther stretch a diaphragm already distended by trapped  suspected culprits in the Case of Side stitch include weak abdominal Muscles descended spleen distended liver or stretched peritoneal ligaments which support the liver spleen and stomach. Diet is also under suspicion. The athlete supposedly invites Side stitch if he takes carbonated drinks or eats Gas forming foods before exercise. This theory was bolstered by one runner who liked to eat baked Beans on Toast before races and was cured of stitch when he swore off this delicacy. Side stitch often strikes people while they Are running downhill suggesting that they Strain their diaphragms by leaning backward tightening their belly Muscles and breathing improperly from the Chest. There Are Many remedies for Side stitch reflecting the Constellation of possible causes. Some physicians advise against eating for four hours preceding physical activity. Others say to avoid Gas forming foods and Carbon ated beverages for 24 hours prior to exercise. Still others say to take a laxative the Day before or an intestinal Antispasmodic two hours before working out. On the theory that Side stitch is caused by Gas in the Large intestine still another recommendation is to eat a Low starch High protein diet with roughage in the form of fruits and vegetables. Perhaps the Best idea is to breathe properly letting the stomach Rise during inhalation and fall during exhalation. The stitch prone person May also Benefit from exercises to strengthen the diaphragm. For example it helps to breathe against slight resistance such As pursed Lipsto groan or to lie on the floor place a Book on the Abdomen and breathe so that it rises and Falls. Some runners have discovered that bending Over at the Waist pushing the fingers up under the rib Cage and blowing out against pursed lips expels the trapped air that May be Caus ing Side stitch. Another remedy is to stand erect and for pain on the right Side squeeze the right knee tightly to the Chest and hold for two or three seconds. Do the opposite for the left Side and repeat if necessary. For the More agile a hand stand or any change in body pos Ture that pushes the diaphragm upward usually brings Relief. Side stitch causes no harm and it does not kill or cripple but it is a real pain and inconvenience and for athletes it often Means the difference Between winning losing or even playing at All. C new York times across 1 Buddhist Monk 5 miss West 8 to be gloomy 12 partner of alack 13 German physicist 14 kind of shop 15 Fertility goddess 16 greek letter 17 Ixion after 18 actor Cesar 20 garments 22 crag 23 miss Gardner 24 traffic conditions 27 jaw muscle 32 any port storm 33 miss St. Clare 34 found in Horace 35 French composer 38 Early King Kong Star 39 secret agent 40 expression of disgust 42 cubic meters 45 cheered 49 Blue 50 trough for bricks 52 heraldic bearing 53 Comfort 54 girl s name 55 sit for an artist 56 letters avg. Solution 57 beggar s opera author 58 Short distance Down Iden 2 further More 3 cripple 4 accounting term 5 Railroad workers 6 exclamation 7 australian Birds 8 incentive time 22 min. 9-17answer to yesterday s Puzzle. 9 dealer in stocks 10 closely confined 11 football players 19 artificial language 21 owns 24 Conrad s lord 25 miscellaneous items 26 rubber 28 Hail 29 Saturn s Day 30 period 31 beam 36 carousels 37 sense Organ 38 Battle cries 41 depart 42 Irish sometimes 43 waiter s Helper 44 kind of rug46 jog 47 otherwise 48 word with freeze or South 51 harem room today crossword 12 is 18 24 32 35" 49 53 25 39 22 19 16 21 33 44 50 54 51 28 20 29 40 21 23 41 14 ii 52 55 58 10 41 31 48 Clearone Landers dear Ann my husband is a funeral director. I think an awful lot of your readers could profit from what i have on my mind. You would t believe what some people bring in for their loved ones to be buried in. Men s ties with Gravy stains wrinkled soiled shirts frayed around the collars and cuffs. Dresses with torn seams and in awful Condi Tion. Often i have washed and ironed shirts and sewed on but tons or used one of my husband s shirts or a Blouse of my own in place of what was brought. Maybe these people think be cause the body is going into the ground it does t make any Dif Ference what they have on. I am referring to open casket burials Ann. Don t they realize friends and family who pay a last fare Well notice such things sometimes if the death was sudden it s understandable that there was t much time to pre pare but even then there Are at least 24 hours to get a decent outfit together. Just yesterday a woman who had been ill for a year was brought in. When her daughter gave me the burial dress i was shocked. Please print my letter Ann. Your column educates a lot of folks and i can Tell you they sure do need it.  dear mrs. X you Are in a Posi Tion to know More about this than i. Thank you for bringing a Mes Sage to my readers that never would have entered my head. Dear Ann Landers i am a 15 year old boy and a High school Sophomore. My father rejects me like i was a mistake at birth. I am the youngest of six kids and i Don t think they were exactly thrilled when i came along. When my dad ignores me or criticizes me or cusses me out mom just sits there and never says a word. I know she loves me but she never Speaks up. I went to my school Counselor and she suggested family counselling. I told mom what the Counselor recommended and got no response. I m afraid to mention it to my dad. He d probably get real upset with me for  where do i go from Here repressed in Modesto dear a your dad sounds like a bully. Your mom is probably afraid of him too and this is Why she just sits  i doubt your dad would go for family counselling but ask your Mother if she will go with you. Two out of three is better than none. If your mom says no go Back to your school Counselor and ask if she will help your sort out your problems. She sounds like an understanding Able person who could do a lot for you. Dear Ann Landers your suggestion on How to handle men at work who Paw squeeze and grab was Zero. You said Quick foot work rapid removal of the hands off the Bod and a Well worded warning accompanied by a warm smile of  i can Tell you most males will not take any warning seriously if it s Given with a warm smile. The Only Way to deliver the message is with a set jaw and a clenched fist. Ask any Man. Hell Tell you i m right. Red dear red i be already heard from plenty of men and they All say you re right. So girls Don smile snarl c 1977 Field enterprises inc