European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 5, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Toyo up health dh4vikm a Lisa Eva Flythe bad news about be rest by Jane e. Brody new York times f you were among Tho unfortunate victims of 11m Lales Strain of influenza or the mysterious virus that Hai Boon pros Raling people Lor up to seven , you May have considered yourself recovered Whit inc Yrus retreated enabling Yon Torr cum o your  Aci Vilics but in addition to Law pc Clad so Backof a debilitating illness your Bedy in unit now also Rico of irom  the Ueal Antni. Bed rest. Chances Ari. Hal while you languish cd Ivilo a fios and 1c a you gave Linle though to whal the Days in bed Ocie doing to your body. If you did know however you conk plan a More intelligent return to Normal activity and better appreciate Tho risks of trying to do Loo much 100 soon. Understanding the a Lleces of bed rest and initiating activity to counter hem can also help patients in hospitals and nuking Homes where Many patients Pio Blums arc related to the hours they spend in bed. In the january Issue of the american Jouin elot nursing. Or Manton Rubin pointed out that while a night s test in bed alter a Long hard Day usually leaves one refreshed. In Rcd bed rest caused by it Ness or injury can have the opposite Eft eco. Researchers have estimated thai the functional losses Niter three weeks of total bed rest roughly equal to the Elf Ecla of 30 years of aging. While Iho Ohe Cis of aging May be largely irreversible the Etc cos of bed rest can almost always a overcome. The major effects Are related to the loss of Gravity s pull on your body. As Rubin explained when you land upright the body fights Gravity in a most helpful  your Skeie Tat Muscles contract exerting pressure against veins and Tyr Mph vessels which keeps fluid irom pooling in your legs and Leel. The anti Gravila ional Effort also makes muscle cells More robust and makes the Bones stronger because muscle movement Gams Gravity favors Calcium deposition in the Bones but when the mattress is holding you up. Your skeletal Muscles lose Lone. Alter just three Days a person on bed rest loses plasma and Calcium secretes less gastric juice has less Wood flowing through the calves and shows some impairment of glucose tolerance wrote Rubin who is a professor of nursing and director of research Al St. Louis University s school of nursing. System by system Hose Ere among inc maj effects i Bedroll shifts in body fluids. You Start losing More body fluid than usual the first Day wit ii a loss of about 20 ounces by the second Day. This fluid toss is a major Factor in the temporary but Olton dramatic weight loss that can occur in an illness. Along win the lost fluid sodium and chlorides Che ions of Salt Are lost immediately. More prolonged bed rest also causes a loss of Polas Siung while tying Down there is a Shilt in blood volume with blood leaving the logs and pooling a the trunk and Toad the mucous membranes in you nose May swell causing nasal Congo lion. Changes in blood. You May already be aware of Tho increased risk of blood clots associated with bed rest. That is Why Hospital patients arc Given classic izod hosiery which helps squeeze tog veins Iho Way Tho Muscles do when you stand Allie eight Days in Bod blood clogs Fasler than usual. The most Likely cause of clogs is compression of Tho vessels in the lower legs by inc weight of the legs on Iho bed the pressure be Lod on certain areas of the body can also cause bedsores. These result when someone in bed does not move or is not shill cd frequently. The flow of blood through the tiny blood vessels in the skin can be blocked causing some cells to die some patients eventually develop sores or skin ulcers which can Progress to a wider area Hearl and lung effects when you Are lying on your Back your lungs change pos Ilton combined Wilh the increased pressure of lib Abdomen against the diaphragm this change makes it More ddn cult to Page 16 the stars and stripes tuesday april 5,1988