Alcohol and Tobacco

Alcohol is not a stimulant, but is really a narcotic that is very
depressing. It dulls rather than stimulates. The same is true of
nicotine in tobacco. No growing boy should use either. The first
athletes to drop out of a race are usually drinkers and all trainers
know that smoking is bad for the wind.

Constipation

Those boys who find their digestion sluggish and are troubled with
constipation may find the following plan helpful in overcoming the
condition:

Drink a cool, copious draught of water upon arising. Then take some
body-bending exercises. Follow this with the sponge bath. Then, if
possible, take a walk around the block before breakfast. After school,
play some favorite game for at least an hour. In the absence of this,
take a good hike of three or four miles or a longer bicycle ride. At
least twice a week, if possible, enter a gymnasium class and make
special emphasis of body-bending exercises.

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Have a regular time for going to stool. A good plan is to go just
before retiring and immediately upon arising. Go even though you feel
no desire to do so. A regular habit may be established by this method.
Always respond quickly to any call of nature. Toasted bread and graham
bread and the coarser foods and fruit will be found helpful.

The Teeth

Closely related to the matter of eating is the proper care of the
teeth.

Perhaps--without care--the mouth is the filthiest cavity of the body.
We spend a great deal of energy trying to keep food clean and water
pure, but what is the use if we place them in a dirty cavity as they
enter the body. Full 90 per cent. of the children examined in our
schools have decayed and dirty teeth. These decayed teeth provide
cavities in which food particles decay and germs grow, and through
which poisons are absorbed. These conditions need not exist. Now just
a few suggestions about the care of the teeth. Every boy should own
his own tooth brush. The teeth should be scrubbed at least twice a
day. At night they should receive most careful cleansing, using a good
tooth paste or powder. Then again in the morning they should be rinsed
at which time simply clean water is sufficient. Time should be taken
in the cleansing of the teeth. The gums should be included in the
scrubbing, as this acts as a good stimulant to the circulation of the
blood to the teeth. Not only should the teeth be brushed with a
backward and forward stroke, as we ordinaril