DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have heard that aluminum, found in many deodorants, is harmful and can contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Is there any truth to this? Every morning when I put on my deodorant, I think about it. – M.R.

ANSWER: Aluminum is one of the most plentiful metals on earth, and it’s impossible to avoid coming in contact with it. It’s in many commonly used items – food, water, cookware and a number of antiperspirants. It’s also true that aluminum has been found in the brain of some Alzheimer’s patients. For that reason, a few have raised the possible association of aluminum with Alzheimer’s disease.

This matter has been batted about for more than 25 years. Competent investigators have examined the evidence for an association, but no strong proof has been established. Most scientists believe that the tangles of two brain proteins called tau and amyloid (an unusual body product) are the more likely contributors to Alzheimer’s disease.

Personally, I do not worry about aluminum. I don’t think you need to either.

The booklet on Alzheimer’s disease discusses this tragic illness in depth. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 903, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Would you please comment on the use of botulinum toxin for so many different medical problems and in so many different medical procedures? Isn’t it a poison? What bad side effects can it have? I know it’s used around the eyes, and wonder if it could affect vision. – A.M.

ANSWER: Botulinum toxin is a poison. It’s the most potent poison known to humankind.

Poisoning often occurs through improperly prepared home canned foods. The poison spreads through the blood and binds to nerves, and that leaves a person in a paralyzed state. The first signs of trouble include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea and dry mouth. Vision becomes blurred, and the eyes don’t move as they should. People have trouble swallowing and speaking. Facial muscles weaken, and the muscle weakness descends until the legs become powerless. Hospitalization is needed, as patients have to be put on a ventilator since the breathing muscles are paralyzed. Antitoxin is available but, in severe poisoning, recuperation can take months.

How could this poison become a medicine? By diluting it many times over. Botox, the diluted botulinum poison, can treat the prolonged muscle spasms of dystonia. One example of a dystonia is blepharospasm, the uncontrollable blinking of the eyelids and, in some cases, the locking closed of those lids. Botox has found a niche in the treatment of many such involuntary muscle problems. It is also used for control of excessive sweating. It is used cosmetically to remove facial wrinkles and furrows due to facial-muscle contractions.

The side effects are few. Injections around the eye can cause drooping lids, and rarely there is an allergic reaction to the substance. The effects of treatment are not permanent, and repeat injections are given about every three months.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Sixteen years ago, I was told I had genital herpes. I have had no recurrences in the past 10 years. I have been divorced for five years. How contagious am I to a new partner? What can I do to ensure that I don’t pass this on? – C.C.

ANSWER: Genital herpes is a for-life infection. The greatest threat of transmission occurs when there is an outbreak, but the virus can be passed between outbreaks. Not having had an outbreak for 10 years greatly reduces your risk to another, but it doesn’t eliminate it. If your partner uses a condom, the risk is further diminished.

All you need to do is inform your partner of the old diagnosis and, for reassurance, have relations only with a condom.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What can you tell me about Behcet’s syndrome? My 47-year-old daughter was first diagnosed as having a brown recluse spider bite. Then the diagnosis changed to Sweet’s disease. Now it’s Behcet’s syndrome. She is sick all the time, has lesions all over her body and in her mouth, and spends most of her days in bed in misery. Nothing seems to help her.

She is very depressed and angry all the time and talks of suicide. Help. – L.K.

ANSWER: In North America, Behcet’s (BUH-sets) syndrome is considered an unusual illness. It shows itself in a variety of confusing signs and symptoms that throw off doctors for many months and even years.

Behcet’s patients develop painful mouth sores that look very much like canker sores. Similar sores break out on the genital area. The eyes can be inflamed. Joints often swell and hurt. The digestive tract might suffer from surface ulcerations. The skin sometimes breaks out in what looks like acne or in an eruption of tender red bumps. This is an incomplete sample of the things that happen in Behcet’s syndrome.

Patients with the illness have a peculiar reaction when their skin is pricked with a needle. In a day or two, a pus-filled bump forms at the site of the skin prick. This is called the pathergy test and provides a major clue that the affected person is suffering from Behcet’s.

No single medicine cures Behcet’s, but many medicines can often control its countless signs and symptoms. Cortisone drugs are often employed. Colchicine – a gout medicine – has proven useful. Drugs that keep an errant immune system (believed to have a major role in Behcet’s) in check include azathioprine and cyclosporine. Interferon helps many. Two newer drugs, used for things like rheumatoid arthritis, are showing favorable results for Behcet’s. They are Remicade (infliximab) and Enbrel (etanercept).

Often Behcet’s symptoms improve with time. Your city has a wonderful medical school. Have you or your daughter contacted any of the doctors there? Also get in touch with the American Behcet’s Disease Association at 800-723-4238. Its Web site is: www.behcets.com