DEAR DR. DONOHUE: During my one-hour drive from work to home, I heard a radio doc talk about restless leg syndrome. I tried to pull over to give it all my attention, but I didn’t make it until it was almost over. Can you expand on it for me? I think I have it. What’s the treatment? It’s robbing me of sleep. — N.Y.

ANSWER: Restless leg syndrome is abnormal feelings in the legs that come on when a person is sitting but more often when that person lies down for sleep. People describe the feeling in many ways: creeping, crawling, burning or aching. Along with these sensations, an affected person has an irrepressible urge to get up and move around. Doing so quiets the sensations. All this can happen after the person goes to sleep.

For most, a cause isn’t found. Some, however, have an iron deficiency, and restoring normal iron levels puts an end to restless legs for these people. It could be a deficiency of the brain chemical dopamine.

Whatever the cause, 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise lessens symptoms and often prevents nighttime awakenings. Stopping smoking and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine also improve the picture. Warm baths before bedtime and massaging the leg muscles can block restless legs from occurring.

If none of these gets rid of the problem, then turning to medicines is worth considering. Mirapex and Requip work by restoring the normal brain supply of dopamine and are effective for many. Neurontin has helped others.

People who suffer from this syndrome would do well to contact the Restless Leg Foundation for a wealth of information on this disruptive disorder. You can reach the foundation at its toll-free number, 877-463-6757, or on the web at www.rls.org.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My sister sees her doctor every month and always comes home with a diagnosis of strep throat. The doctor gives her a prescription for antibiotics each time. Is it possible that a person has a strep throat monthly? She never looks sick to me. And what are all these antibiotics doing to her? — L.R.

ANSWER: Anything is possible, but a monthly strep throat is distinctly unusual.

At most, 10 percent of adult throat infections are due to the strep germ. Fifty percent are viral infections, and antibiotics are not called for in a viral illness. In 30 percent of adults with a sore throat, no cause is found. Antibiotics are not helpful here either.

A typical strep throat comes on suddenly and causes not only throat soreness, but it raises a person’s temperature, and his or her neck nodes become swollen.

Doctors prescribe antibiotics for strep throat to prevent rheumatic fever. The best way to determine if a sore throat is a strep throat is by taking a throat culture. The second-best way is a test called RSAT, rapid strep antigen test. It’s done right in the doctor’s office and takes only 10 to 15 minutes.

Overuse of antibiotics spawns drug resistance. Your sister’s good bacteria, living in her digestive tract, take a beating every time she takes another course of antibiotics.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Ever hear of taking blood by using a blood pressure cuff as a tourniquet? My doctor’s nurse does it all the time. Does the cuff possibly mess up blood tests? — B.B.

ANSWER: I’m sure the nurse isn’t pumping up the blood pressure cuff so high that she’s damaging red blood cells or shutting off circulation in arteries.

She’s probably not generating any more pressure than a tightly applied tourniquet. You have no worry that this technique is messing up your blood tests.

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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