Question: I have an addition to your suggestion list for beating insomnia. I've followed it for years, and for me it works. I learned it by watching cats - yes, cats! Whenever I have trouble getting to sleep, I get up on my feet by my bed and stretch really hard. It relaxes me greatly and stretches me out, so to speak. I have even done it with effect when actually lying in bed.
- Mrs. H.K.
Answer: Indeed, it is written that if you really want to relax, observe the house cat.
Question: I have a worrisome problem concerning my older daughter. She gets strep throat once or twice a year. Her doctor gives her antibiotics, and it clears up. Will this eventually cause heart problems? I am worried about rheumatic fever.
- Mrs. T.L.
Answer: Rheumatic fever becomes a threat only when a strep infection remains untreated.
The streptococcus bacterium does not cause rheumatic fever directly. The antibodies the body builds up in response to that germ are the culprit in rheumatic fever. Those antibodies have a tendency to home in on the heart valves, which they can end up deforming.
The penicillin your daughter has been taking does away with the strep germ and the antibodies against it, so you shortcut the rheumatic fever.
The fact is, Mrs. L., although we pay a lot of justifiable attention to rheumatic fever, only a small number of strep patients get it, even if the antibiotic treatment is not provided.
I don't mean to say that antibiotic treatment is wasted. Certainly, the potential mischief from the illness calls for quick treatment.
Since your daughter is having repeated attacks of strep throat, she might be a candidate for tonsil removal. She should ask her doctor about that. Tonsils often provide persistent strep havens.
Question: Can you please tell me what is the significance of the pins and needles in my arm, from the armpit down to the fingers. It happens occasionally when the arm is in certain positions. I am not performing any special task. This is annoying and aggravating, and sometimes limiting.
- T.J.
Answer: My guess is that you're stretching a nerve at those times, and that is making it fire off its localized sensation. That's the usual cause.
If it is an infrequent thing, it is no big deal. It happens to almost everyone.
If it happens regularly, you should investigate to see if there is something in the area of the nerve that is exerting local pressure. That something could be a growth or a large lymph node.
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 at P.O. Box 5539, Riverton, NJ 08077-5539.
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