Chlorine could be problem for pool swimmers

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When I swim in the ocean or a lake, I can swim forever without becoming breathless. When I swim in a pool, I struggle after two or three laps. Could this be due to chlorine? — R.H.

ANSWER: It could be. Experts have found that heavily chlorinated water causes airway constriction in sensitive people. Pool water has to be chlorinated to keep it free of germs.

Ask the people in charge of the pool what the water chlorination level is. Regulations call for it to be 1 to 3 ppm (parts per million). If it’s heavily chlorinated, that could be your problem.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 36-year-old woman whose legs have ugly varicose veins. Is surgery the only treatment? What happens if I leave them alone? What causes them? They must run in families, because my mother and my two sisters have them. — R.R.

ANSWER: Up to one-third of adult women and one-fifth of adult men are afflicted with varicose veins. For some, they are more than a cosmetic nuisance. Often they cause a heavy sensation in the legs, can bring on leg fatigue, and can produce leg swelling. If none of these applies to you, you can safely leave them alone.

Family history is one factor in their appearance. The major problem is defective vein valves. As blood flows back to the heart through leg veins, vein valves close to keep the blood from dropping down. If the valves aren’t functioning, blood does fall down the vein, expands it and eventually leads to a distorted, engorged vein.

You can keep matters from getting worse by elevating your feet as often as you can and by not standing still in one place for any prolonged period of time. Compression hose keep blood flowing upward in leg veins, and the best ones are custom-fitted.

The number of treatments for varicose veins increases yearly. I can’t describe all of them, but I can give you a sample from the large menu available. Sclerotherapy consists of injections of slightly irritating substances, like very dense salt water, into the vein. The irritation causes the vein to collapse, and its walls stick together. With a similar result, laser or radio waves heat the inside of the vein and seal it. Another procedure, transilluminated power phlebectomy, painlessly breaks the varicose vein into small pieces that can be suctioned out.

Of course, standard surgical removal is still used, and there have been many major refinements to that technique.

The pamphlet on varicose veins details the problem and its treatments. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 108W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.