DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My greatest wish is to become a major league baseball player. I’m not such a great hitter. Everything else I do well. My dad said he would practice with me by throwing tennis balls, which I try to hit. Do you think this will make my reflexes faster? — M.M.

ANSWER: I do. I like the idea.

It’s your reaction time that will improve. It’s not the exact same thing as a reflex. Reaction time is a voluntary response to a stimulus. The stimulus is the oncoming ball.

Professional baseball players, who have to hit baseballs coming at speeds of more than 90 miles an hour, have only a very short time to decide whether to swing at the ball or to let it go by. The time to make the decision is less than 500 milliseconds. One millisecond is one-thousandth of a second.

Your dad should start by throwing balls at moderate speeds. He can increase the speed as you get the hang of it.

Practice ought to make you respond more quickly. You realize, of course, that you not only face fastballs. You have to be able to judge curveballs and other kinds of pitches. I don’t know if your dad can make a tennis ball take the path of a curve.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My wife and I belong to a bike-riding club that meets every weekend and sometimes on both Saturday and Sunday.

We ride long distances, stop for lunch and continue riding into the evening. We get in at least eight hours of riding.

I have noticed trouble achieving an erection on some of the days that I ride. If you think it’s from biking, I’ll stop, especially if things get worse or could be permanent. Have you ever heard of this? — D.J.

ANSWER: I have heard of that phenomenon. It’s due to an unyielding bike seat pressing on nerves and blood vessels that serve the penis.

Making some changes in your bike ought to end the problem. Get a new, wider seat with better padding. The seat should be at a height that allows a bit of bend in the knee when the pedal is in the lowest position. The front of the seat should have a slight downward slope.

Raise the handlebars a bit.

If these adjustments don’t change matters, then stop biking for three weeks and see what happens. If biking is the fault, your symptom should resolve with that much rest.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son has joined his school’s track team. It is the first time he has ever been excited about participating in sports.

Last week the entire team had to undergo an examination and take a few blood tests. The test results were sent to the parents. His test came back as showing he might have “sports” anemia. There was no other information.

Isn’t anemia important? What does this mean? — L.O.

ANSWER: Anemia is important. It’s a deficit of red blood cells. Sports anemia isn’t important. It’s false anemia.

In the early days of a training program, athletes lose body fluids. The body, sensing this, releases hormones to retain fluids. That leads to a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in plasma volume. Plasma is the fluid part of blood. Lab tests used for anemia detection give the impression that the blood count is too low. It isn’t low. It’s just diluted by the extra fluid retained.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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