Dear Doctors: I am a 74-year-old female and was diagnosed with popliteal artery stenosis in my left calf. When walking briskly, it is bothersome to painful. I stop, stretch and can continue, up to 4 miles most days. My internist has suggested I start taking Wegovy. Is this a known treatment?

Dear Reader: Let’s begin with defining your diagnosis. Popliteal artery stenosis is a form of peripheral artery disease, or PAD. This is a fairly common condition. The arteries in the legs, arms or pelvic area get narrower. This reduces blood flow to the area. (The medical term “stenosis” means narrowing.) Risk factors for PAD include high blood pressure, poor blood lipid profiles, diabetes, being overweight or obese and smoking. Family history of cardiovascular disease is also a factor, and older adults have higher risk of PAD.

The popliteal artery reaches from the lower thigh to the upper calf. It lies just beneath the two heads of the gastrocnemius, the large calf muscle, as it passes behind the knee. Popliteal artery stenosis restricts blood flow to this large muscle. The muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen or nutrients, which allows waste products to build up. This can lead to the pain and cramping that you describe. When you pause to rub your calf, you are giving the tissues in the calf time to recover from the lack of oxygen caused by the stenosis. This is why your symptoms improve after a break.

With the recommendation of using Wegovy, a semaglutide medication, your doctor is following new data on reducing cardiovascular risk. New research has found that these medications can improve the metabolic health factors that contribute to atherosclerosis, and thus PAD. A recent study looked at 792 people living with diabetes who also had peripheral artery disease. The participants who used a semaglutide medication reported a marked decrease in PAD symptoms. They were also able to walk for longer distances. A different study that followed 1,363 people with PAD over the course of almost four years had similar results.

While these results are encouraging, it is important to understand that this is an off-label use of semaglutide medication. While it has shown distinct benefits, it hasn’t been through rigorous testing for safety and efficacy for this specific use. Also, semaglutides are not right for everyone. People with a history of medullary thyroid cancer should not take them. They may not be right for people with some gastrointestinal conditions, such as severe gastroparesis. They can also cause side effects that are worth knowing about. Side effects can include nausea, diarrhea, headache, stomach pain and heartburn.

In making your decision, ask your doctor what research they are using for this recommendation. Ask about the guidelines for its use, and what to do if anything goes awry. You can also get a second opinion from a doctor with experience in PAD if you’re still not sure.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Hello, dear readers! Welcome to a bonus letters column. We hope you had a peaceful and enjoyable holiday season and that this new year (how did that happen so soon?) will treat you well. We have some interesting mail, so on to your letters.

-- We have written several times about the benefits of music for people living with dementia. We have received a number of letters on this topic, including one from a reader in Virginia:

“I was happy to see your article about Alzheimer’s and music. My husband, an emeritus professor at Old Dominion University here in Virginia and an alumnus of UCLA, was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia about 10 years ago,” she wrote. “A brilliant man who knew what was happening to him, he and I watched this destroy his brain. A fellow professor came every week to play guitar with him. To the very end, my husband was able to play his guitar and enjoy music.” Thank you for sharing a tender memory. Music can stimulate neural pathways that often remain intact well after other cognitive functions have been lost. Music allows the person to hold on to a piece of their core self. It also creates a pathway for the shared emotional experiences that are so important to the person’s loved ones.

-- Most recently, we examined new research that suggests listening to music can have a protective effect on cognition. A study from researchers in Australia found that people who made music part of daily life had a 40% lower risk of getting dementia. This protective effect also extended to general cognitive decline. When the music lovers were tested on memory and cognitive function, their results were measurably better than those of the non-music group. Another reader had a follow-up question on this topic.

“I saw your response to a reader about the connection between music and memory, which also tied to a neuropsychiatric/dementia study in Australia,” he wrote. “It was very interesting and it made me wonder: Is there any connection between certain types of music and a lowered risk of dementia?” We were curious about the same thing. At this time, existing research does not suggest that specific genres of music have a more protective effect on cognition. The current consensus is that music in general can have a beneficial effect on the brain, mood and memory. Some studies suggest that up-tempo music, which is more rousing, may engage the mind more directly. But as for whether the classical elegance of Bach may be better than the explosive sounds of Black Sabbath, that research has yet to be done.

Thank you, as always, for taking the time to write. We love hearing from you, and we love to know where you are writing from. For readers whose publications don't include an address, you can reach us at askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu. You can also write to us at:

Ask the Doctors

c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations

10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955

Los Angeles, CA 90024

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Dear Doctors: My brother says the hangover foods that people swear by don't really help. I have to disagree. When I've had too much to drink and am paying the price the next day, a few tacos always make me feel better. Is there any science behind either of our views on this?

Dear Reader: Would it surprise you to learn that you are both right? To understand why, we need to begin with the dreaded hangover. For anyone fortunate enough never to have had one, a hangover is a unique set of symptoms that result from drinking too much alcohol. It usually involves nausea, headache, dry mouth, dizziness and fatigue. Rapid heartbeat, anxiety, low mood, disturbed sleep and increased sensitivity to sound and light are also possible.

For some people, just a glass of wine can lead to a rough morning after. Others only feel the effects after a night of heavy drinking. Regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed, the underlying culprits are the same. Chief among them is acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product made by the liver as it metabolizes alcohol for removal from the body. Although the liver converts acetaldehyde into harmless acetate in the end, that process takes time. When we drink alcohol faster than the liver can complete that conversion -- about one drink per hour -- acetaldehyde builds up. This contributes to inflammation in the liver, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract and brain, the biological basis of hangover symptoms. Alcohol is also a diuretic, adding to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. These lead to headache, fatigue and dizziness the next day.

Which brings us to the food question. Your brother is correct that nothing you eat, whether before, during or after drinking, can speed up how fast the liver processes alcohol. But you are also correct that the right food and fluids can help ease the discomfort that follows. The tacos you crave hit the hangover food trifecta: salt, fat and protein. Salt helps retain fluids and replenish electrolytes. Fat slows stomach emptying. Protein helps blood sugar levels stay stable, which can dip after drinking alcohol.

Other foods people have found to be helpful include eggs, which contain cysteine, an amino acid. Researchers have found this amino acid helps the liver process alcohol. Broth-based soups offer a superfood boost of fluids, salt, minerals and other nutrients in a way the body can absorb easily. Fruits, which are already high in needed water, are also rich in antioxidants. These can help with the inflammation that comes with a hangover. Berries are particularly high in antioxidants, and bananas will give you a potassium boost. And speaking of water, staying hydrated before, during and after drinking alcohol is also key.

Despite a quest that dates back millennia, there is still no cure for a hangover. There remains only one way to prevent one, which is not to drink. The food you eat and beverages you drink can't change how fast alcohol leaves your system. But they may help ease the landing.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

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