DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My friend tells everyone that her husband snores so loudly, she has to sleep in another room. Can you help her and him? – L.M.

ANSWER: When air rushes into the nose and throat, any redundant or lax tissues there vibrate like a reed in a clarinet – but the sound produced is not the soft, relaxing music of the night.

An answer to the problem can lie in something as simple as weight loss, if that is indicated. Alcohol relaxes throat muscles and throat tissues and leads to snoring, so an alcohol ban should be enforced after dinner. Smoking irritates throat tissues and causes them to swell, another remedial cause of snoring.

Sleeping on the side opens the throat and diminishes snoring. Your friend can sew a tennis ball into the back of her husband’s pajama top to keep him on his side during the night. If he wears a soft neck collar, the kind used for neck strains and found in many drugstores, it lifts the chin upward and keeps the throat tissues from sagging. Oral appliances can do the same job. Dentists can obtain them for your friend, as can ear, nose and throat doctors.

If snoring is disruptive and is not solved by the above measures, a number of procedures can pare away excess throat tissue and quiet the nighttime noise. Some of those procedures involve using a laser.

Snoring is not a joke and is not to be taken lightly. It can be a sign of a serious problem – sleep apnea. In that condition, snoring grows louder and louder until there is a silent pause of 10 or more seconds. The pause comes about because the snorer stops breathing – apnea. These no-breathing spells can happen hundreds of times during the night and have a profound effect on health. A sign of sleep apnea is chronic daytime drowsiness. Sleep apnea can also have adverse effects on blood pressure and the heart. Have your friend observe her husband for apnea spells while he’s sleeping.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a friend with two leaky heart valves. Her doctor explained that the valves don’t close completely, but he is not concerned.

I have a relative with one leaky valve. She’s under the impression that the blood leaks out of the heart and into her body. She’s started to take aspirin because she doesn’t want this blood that’s floating around to clot.

What is your opinion on this leaky-valve issue? I don’t know what to believe. – M.A.

ANSWER: There are four heart chambers that blood passes through on its journey through the heart. After blood leaves each chamber, that chamber’s valve closes. This prevents blood from backing up into that chamber from the one that just received it. Leaky valves means the blood is backing up.

The seriousness of a leak depends on the amount of blood that backs up. A small leak can be inconsequential. A major leak, on the other hand, can interfere with the heart’s pumping action. Such leaks often need surgical repair.

Your relative has the leak story wrong. Blood isn’t trickling out of her heart into her body. She doesn’t need to take aspirin for this condition.

Heart-valve problems are common. The booklet on that topic describes them and their treatment in detail. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 105, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Can. with a printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Tiny specks of calcium were seen on my last mammogram. The doctor wants me to have a repeat in six months. What can you tell me about these deposits? – B.S.

ANSWER: Breast calcifications can be innocent reminders of a minor bump to the breast. Or they can indicate trouble, including cancer. The radiologist decides between the two depending on their size, the pattern they assume and their distribution in the breast. If they create a slight suspicion of trouble, there is no danger in waiting for a short time for a repeat mammogram to note any changes. If the suspicion is major, a biopsy is done.

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.