European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes tuesday september 1977 Medicine by Michael j. Halberstam . Physicians also appreciate hearing words of fac rfcs when i first went into practice 14 years ago i was so excited by actually seeing my own patients and earning a living after years of medical training that i did t realize for about six months that something was missing from my life. Then along with his Check for my care a patient sent a Brief note expressing his thanks for my availability on Short notice and for what i had done in taking care of him. In truth what i had done was nothing unusual but the note was. It was the first time a grate Ful patient had actually thanked me. I did t know what to do with the note but eventually upon receiving a similar note Sev eral months later from another patient i decided to add a new file to my Cabinet patient  Over the past few years i have accumulated a fair number of notes from patients thanking me for what i have done. Children s eating habits can damage heart later Washington up children might avoid heart disease later in life if they watch their eating habits and Cut Down on cholesterol and carbohydrates health researchers have told Congress. A Survey of 3,000 children aged 11-14 in new York City and suburban Westchester n.y., found 40 per cent of them had at least one risk Factor for coronary heart disease or. Ernst Wynder told the Senate health and scientific research subcommittee. Among the children he said 20 per cent used alcohol within a week of when questioned 20 per cent did not exercise much 18 per cent had cholesterol Levels equivalent to Middle aged men in Japan where cholesterol intake is lower 10 per cent were regular smokers and Black children s blood pressure was twice As High As that of White children. Wynder called for increased emphasis on preventive Medicine education in the schools creation of a sub Cabinet Post in the health education and welfare department to coordinate preventive Medicine programs and for changed diets to reduce High cholesterol foods such As eggs and Dairy products. Although there is no proof yet that High cholesterol intake in children causes future heart disease Wynder said lower fat Content in food and lower cholesterol might be Benefi Cial and certainly would not be  or. Ronald Lauer a University of Iowa expert on children s heart disease agreed. Studies show some children attain Levels of cholesterol and blood pressure that when pre sent in adults Are predictive for the develop ment of future coronary heart disease he said. Wynder said one problem in getting Chil Dren to change eating habits is that Young people like we have a difficult time Reform ing their habits. Children like we suffer from illusions of immortality. Children like adults live for the . Lester Breslow head of the Public health school at Urcla said serious damage to health May result from the Rush to enjoy certain food made available by affluence itself. Manufactured baby foods excessive re fined carbohydrates too much animal fats Are  Dengue fever costs reported Atlanta a More than 1,700 cases of Dengue fever a viral disease transmitted by a Mosquito have been reported in puerto Rico in the past six weeks the National Center for disease control reports. The cd in its weekly morbidity and mortality report said 1,744 cases of the disease had been reported As of sept. 7. Dengue transmitted by the aedes a Egypt Mosquito is characterized by a sudden Onset of High fever headache joint and muscle pain and rash. The rash usually appears three to four Days after the Onset of the fever. The disease usually is mild but patients May experience a prolonged recovery with fatigue and depression for several weeks. The report also said no common source of infection has been identified in the six cases of legionnaires Dis ease reported in Columbus Ohio from july 29 to aug. 29. Seventy five cases of whooping cough were reported in Atlanta from april 24 to aug.28. When i mentioned this file to an older More experienced colleague he said of course you should do that. When i first went into practice 30 years ago my father who was a doctor himself told me to save every note of thanks i Ever got from a patient. He said there would t be very Many but on Days when you Felt the whole practice of Medicine was a waste of time and that no one Ever appreciated what you did it was a Good idea to look through the file and remember that some patients had taken time to write and thank  i was reminded of this by a letter i received in response to a recent column. The letter was from a woman with cancer who is being treated by a doctor who As she wrote me listens sympathetically encourages me into activities i can handle is gentle and has a Nice sense of  she gave me the Doc Tor s name and wrote i have wanted to say these things about my doctor for a Long  interestingly the patient had t directly told those things to the doctor himself. I wrote her a note at the time suggesting that she do just that even though she thought he might be embarrassed by the Praise. If he is anything like me or my colleagues he won t be embarrassed. If he is anything like most physicians he feels that patients often take him for granted. If he is anything like me he will save and cherish even the shortest note of thanks. That pleasant old fashioned custom of thanking the doctor by leaving off some Home made preserves or a farm cured Ham in t dead but it s disappearing. The problem is that most people no longer make or grow things that can easily be exchanged. As a patient once told me i d like to give you some thing i make at work but it s hard to hand Over a computer program for inventory con  Many people remember that physicians respond just like everyone else. It s easy to see that the average patient feels his or her doctor needs no More Pat on the Back than the Check which is sent in return for services. Nei ther i nor most physicians expect any More. There is however genuine pleasure in receiving some Small form of appreciation not necessarily a gift but just a note. The idea that your physician is too Busy or too scientific to respond to Praise is almost surely unjustified. In fact it is the Little extras like the notes i have mentioned above that prevent the practice of Medicine from be coming routine or Drudgery. Physicians often think that their patients Are quite grateful but there Are occasions when we would like to know it. Just like punishment Praise should be handed out explicitly. C modern Medicine publications across 1 excited 5 egyptian god 8 Petty quarrel 12 City in italia 13 sixth sense 14 Relief org. 15 product of seaweed 16 biblical name 17 where Nepal is found 18 give 20 Domestic pigeons 22 seating Structure 26 word with Buzzard or Bear 29 rubber tree 30 tibetan Gazelle 31 town in Iowa 32 Lincoln or Burrows 33 son of Jacob 34 doze 35 cuckoo 36 entries on passports 37 venetian waterway 40 wife of Jacob 41 offer As a plea 45 poems 47 table scrap 49 angers 50 idleness 51 the turmeric 52 melodies 53 matures avg. Solution 54 the Sun 55 title Down 1 City in Romania 2-girl 3 arabian Gulf 4 Auto repair shops 5 College in Kentucky 6 Compass Reading 7 Rod used in spinning 8 meager 9 voyages time 24min. Answer to yesterday s Puzzle. 10 found in Paris 11 social gathering 19 attempt 21 employ 23 former african kingdom 24 Bright Star 25 speaker s platform 26 execute in a Way 27 Sharif 28 natives of Katmandu 32 keeps from Drifting 33 Hellman or Russell 35 dental org. 36 kind of face 38 cozy places 39 brazilian seaport 42 Assam silkworm 43 seed 44 being 45 Money of account 46 excavated 48 Early Auto today crossword 15 18 31 34 50 28 40 22. 38 19 35 13 16 32 47 29 48 41 21 36 14 49 52 55 30 42 24 25 9-20 Learann Landers dear Ann last night my Best Friend of 15 years confided in me that she had had an affair with my husband. The woman cried hysterically apologized All Over the place and said it was All her fault that she had thrown herself at my husband and Pur sued him shamelessly. When i recovered from the Shock i quieted her Down told her i would accept her apology and we would remain  problem is this when i confronted my husband with the Story this morning he looked at me As if i had lost my mind. He said the woman is As crazy As a Loon that nothing of the sort took place. Then he made me feel Dis Loyal for believing her outrageous Story. What should i do now get the two of them together and try to find out which one is lying i Don t want to add fuel to the fire but i d like to know the truth. East coast dilemma dear . Dilly drop it. Mrs. Big Mouth does t sound like much of a Friend. Moreover she could be mentally ill. Some people have delusions and Are unable to separate fact from fic Tion. In marital matters regarding infidelity i believe a Man or woman should be considered in Nocent unless proven guilty. Dear Ann Landers would you please say something in your column about gum snapping maybe i m some kind of nut but it really drives me crazy. It s bad enough to have someone snap Ping a huge wad of gum behind you on a subway or a bus but to work in an office where a woman pops and snaps her wad through the Day is More than i can take. I have thought of coming right out with it and telling her How i feel but i Don t know her Well and Don t want to make an enemy. Can you give any advice Here should i Grin and Bear it i be tried to control myself but it s so irksome i fear my blood pressure is going up. On Edge dear Edge gun snapping is Boorish and rude and it irks Many people me for ones Don t feel like such an oddball. Nothing can be done about the subway or bus gum snapper but something can and should be done about a person with whom you must work All Day. Explain you d be very grateful if she d try to Chew her gum More quietly because it bothers you terribly. You might even take the Burden on yourself by explaining that something in your childhood has made you Over react to gum popping which incidentally is what happened to me. A relative did it to be annoy ing and now in my adult years i find gum popping unbearable. Dear Ann our daughter like so Many others in this lost generation fell in with a religious cult. We were heartsick frustrated and  suggested an organization for parents struggling wit the same problem. Please Ann Tell them to write to citizens Freedom foundation Box 256, Chula Vista Calif. 92012. There Are chapters in Many cities and this Headquarters office will put people in touch with the closest. A Mother dear Mother Here it is. I la keep my fingers crossed for you. C 1977 Field enterprises inc