DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am having a problem with lack of circulation in my legs and feet. My doctor did an arteriogram that showed blood-vessel narrowing from my knees to my feet. He said that the only remedy is surgery, which he does not recommend. Is there any other remedy? – W.W.

ANSWER: The problem is peripheral (legs are considered the body’s periphery) vascular (or arterial) disease. It’s a most prevalent problem. Close to 20 percent of those over 50 have the makings of it, and by age 70, many have the full-blown condition.

Buildup of cholesterol in leg arteries blocks blood flow. When a person with peripheral vascular disease walks any distance, the calves hurt. Pain can also be felt in the buttocks, the thighs or the feet. It depends on where the blockage is. Taking a rest alleviates the pain in a short time.

You had the ultimate test for peripheral vascular disease – an arteriogram, in which dye is injected into leg arteries and X-ray pictures show the blockage. A less-invasive test is comparing the blood pressure at the ankles with the blood pressure in the arms. They should be about the same. A low ankle blood pressure is a strong indication that there is a blockage in the leg arteries.

Walking is an important treatment for you. Start out modestly, with a block or two. When pain strikes, stop until it goes away, and then resume walking. Increase the distance and time until you are walking at least 30 minutes on as many days of the week as you can.

Medicines such as Pletal, Plavix and Trental can improve leg circulation.

Surgery can be the answer for many. It’s much like the bypass surgery for blocked heart arteries. And the same angioplasty that is used for clogged heart arteries can be used for clogged leg arteries. A catheter with a balloon tip is inched to the point of obstruction and then inflated to squash the buildup.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 43-year-old man. Four years ago, I had unsafe sex. A couple of days later I had severe pain in my groin. Seven days before I could be seen in the local health department, I went to the emergency room, and the doctor put me on antibiotics for two weeks. The health department found no signs of a venereal disease. I think the antibiotics I was taking covered the real problem. I have seen all kinds of doctors and have been on all kinds of antibiotics. I am positive I have some type of venereal disease. What kind of doctor should I see? – J.H.

ANSWER: The groin is the crease the upper leg makes with the abdomen. Groin pain is seldom a sign of a venereal disease. If you mean genital pain, pain without any sore or discharge is unlikely to be a venereal-disease sign, especially pain lasting four years. You have had many antibiotics, seen many doctors and must have had many tests, and nothing has turned up.

See a urologist, who can determine if there is some anatomic problem causing your pain. See an infectious-disease doctor to see if you have an infection. You are ruminating about this to an unhealthy degree.

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.