DEAR DR. DONOHUE: This letter is regarding H. pylori, which I have. My doctor prescribed antibiotics and antacid medicine for me. The medicine comes to $300. I cannot afford it.

My question is: Is this life-threatening? I do not have any pain or other symptoms. I sometimes have a gas pain under my right breast. – R.H.

ANSWER: One of the most fascinating medical stories of the recent past is the Helicobacter (HE-lee-coe-BACK-tur) pylori story. H. pylori is a bacterium, a germ that lives in the inhospitable environment of the acid-filled stomach, a place that most other bacteria cannot tolerate. It bores through the protective mucus that lines the stomach, which allows stomach acid and stomach digestive juices to go to work on the stomach and duodenal tissues. The result is an ulcer. People with ulcers and H. pylori need to eradicate the H. pylori in order to heal the ulcer and prevent recurrence.

Half the world’s population has this germ in its stomach, but half the world’s population does not have ulcers. In the United States, 30 percent of the population has H. pylori in the stomach. Thirty percent of the United States population does not have ulcers. The message is H. pylori is a common germ that does not always cause trouble. If a person houses this germ but has no symptoms, the germ can be ignored.

If your doctor agrees with me about this as it pertains to you, you can forgo the medicine and its expense.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 73, very active and not aware of having any heart problem. My doctor heard a heart murmur and sent me for an echocardiogram. The report says I have a leaky aortic valve. I am taking medicine to give my heart a rest. I would like to know what you have to say about this condition. – G.S.

ANSWER: The aorta is the body’s largest artery, and it receives all the blood pumped from the heart. Between the heart and the aorta is the aortic valve. It closes after the heart has pumped blood so that no blood leaks back into the heart. Your valve isn’t working 100 percent. That condition is aortic insufficiency, also called aortic regurgitation.

People with this condition usually tolerate it for years and years with no symptoms. You are in that symptomless stage. You might never progress any further. Symptoms, if they eventually occur, include things like shortness of breath on slight exertion, chest pain when active, fainting or the feeling of being about to faint when rushing around.

You cannot do anything on your own to fix the leak. If the leak affects the heart, then medicines to reduce heart stress keep the leak from getting worse.

If the leak is pronounced and if you’re experiencing symptoms, a heart surgeon can correct the valve problem. You’re not at that stage, and you might never reach it.

The booklet on heart-valve conditions explains what happens when heart valves are on the blink. 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 the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Subject: Cold drafts make me sick.

I have never seen anything in your column on this subject. When I asked my doctor about this, he said, “Stay out of drafts.” Well, sometimes that is not possible. When a draft hits me, my face perspires and I feel sick. What can I do? – V.H.

ANSWER: You haven’t seen anything on this because you are the first to bring it up. I’m lost. If you hurry and put a sweater on when the draft strikes, would that abort the attack?

I cannot come up with anything else.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have never seen you address ductal carcinoma, in situ, of the breast. My daughter, 46, has it and just had a second incision to get clean borders. I am optimistic about my daughter’s recovery. She is scheduled for radiation. The cancer was missed on mammograms but was picked up on an MRI.

There is no cancer history in our family. I wonder, since this cancer was in place and had not spread, if she needed to have surgery and go through all this. Any light you can shed will be appreciated. – M.N.

ANSWER: Body cells sit on a thin floor called the basement membrane. An “in situ” (in place) cancer is one where the cancer cells have not penetrated the basement membrane. It’s a very superficial cancer, one that has not invaded adjacent tissues or cells. An in situ cancer has the greatest chance for complete cure. Such a cancer is an early cancer. You have every right to be optimistic.

Ductal breast cancer (carcinoma) is one that arises in the breast’s milk ducts. Your daughter needed all the treatment she got. Ductal cancer can infiltrate neighboring tissue and can spread to distant sites. Your daughter’s cancer was caught before this happened. Without the treatment she got and is getting, her ductal breast cancer could have been lethal.

The booklet on breast cancer gives a comprehensive coverage of this topic. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 1101, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

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