Pantyhose help man fight leg fatigue

Q. I’ve been wearing pantyhose every day for a while now to eliminate leg fatigue and help with varicose veins. I stand all day at work in a restaurant and find this tactic works great.

I wear L’eggs Sheer Energy Active Support Leg Nude Queen size; I am 5 feet 10 inches and 200 pounds, and they fit me perfectly. I get several weeks’ wear out of each.

I wear them under my uniform pants during the day and under shorts at other times. No one seems to notice, or if they do, they don’t mention it. The nude color just looks like I have tanned legs. Other colors are a little too false-looking. My wife, my family and my doctor all approve. Other guys may want to try this.

A. You are not the first man to tell us that support pantyhose help keep his legs from getting tired. Years ago, we heard from a reader: “I suffer from chronic leg pain. My doctors have tested me, and all they can say is that it might be due to nerve damage. They suggest support hose.

“I bought some medical support hose, but they are very expensive. I thought I could save money with regular support pantyhose.

“It feels strange to wear them, but they really help my legs feel much better. Is it a problem to wear women’s pantyhose?”

We assured him the only problem would be if he and his wife were trying to conceive. Pantyhose might raise the temperature of the testicles and reduce sperm count.

Q. I am a 54-year-old man, and I’ve had seborrheic dermatitis since my early 20s. The steroid skin creams that have been prescribed to deal with this cause other skin problems.

I’ve been washing my face with sea salt in warm water and using the salt to exfoliate periodically. I buy sea salt without iodine at the grocery store. I haven’t had to use the steroids since I started doing this, and all traces of dermatitis are gone.

A. Thank you for this story. Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin inflammation causing red, itchy spots and flaking on the face or scalp. It is similar to dandruff.

We could find nothing in the medical literature about salt water as a treatment, but readers have found salt water helpful for other skin problems, from acne to warts.

Q. Some time ago, I read that a mother solved her child’s sleeping problem by giving him a banana to eat. I did not pay attention to this until one day I decided to try it.

Lo and behold, it worked. I had a sound sleep all night. Now I eat half a banana before I go to bed. I am not saying that this will work for everyone, but it worked for me.

A. We don’t know why eating half a banana before bed would work against insomnia. Perhaps the minerals (potassium and magnesium) in the fruit are helping, or maybe the slight carbohydrate boost at bedtime is beneficial.

People often are advised not to snack late in the evening to avoid nighttime reflux. But since bananas have been used as a remedy for heartburn, your approach may not pose a problem.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or email them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”

2014 King Features Syndicate Inc.