DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You missed the boat in your prostate treatment article. Four old goats in our euchre club have all had prostate cancer. We all had the radioactive seeds and had wonderful results. I have no problem having an erection. It is the only way to go in our neighborhood. – P.H.

ANSWER: I have to correct a matter for the club. That article was on treatment of prostate enlargement, not prostate cancer. Each has different treatments.

I’m glad to hear all of you have had such successful results with the radioactive seeds – brachytherapy, as it is called. Small radioactive pellets are implanted into the gland. It’s one of the accepted treatments for prostate cancer, but it’s not the best treatment for all patients.

The choice of treatment depends on the man’s age, his general health, the grade of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread out of the gland to lymph nodes or a distant site. Tumor grade is evaluated by the Gleason score. A score of two indicates the least-aggressive cancer, and a score of 10, the most aggressive.

Furthermore, treatment choice lies not just in the hands of the doctor. An informed patient has his say, and his say often depends on the potential complications from each treatment. He can judge if potential complications would be too great for him to have a meaningful life.

Complete removal of the gland (a radical prostatectomy), radiation from a machine, the implantation of radioactive pellets and the eradication of all sources of male hormone production are acceptable treatments. Each has its good and bad points. Every man deserves to know how each of these treatments applies to his cancer and what he can or might expect from each treatment. For any given individual, the circumstances of his cancer might permit only one treatment choice.

The booklet on prostate enlargement and prostate cancer provides information on both subjects. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 1001, 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: I am somewhat mixed up about oxalic acid. The definition is a colorless, poisonous crystalline acid used for dyeing and bleaching. Yet, in an article I read, it associated oxalic acid with calcium products, proteins and green, leafy vegetables. Could I have made this up in my mind? – R.G.

ANSWER: You didn’t make it up. Oxalic acid is used for some heavy-duty cleaning. Oxalic salts – oxalates – are found in foods. You wouldn’t think of drinking hydrochloric acid. It contains chlorine. You don’t hesitate to use salt, sodium chloride. Both are chloride compounds.

Oxalates are in green beans, beets, tea, chocolate, sweet potatoes and spinach. They’re no danger. They’re quite healthful.

Calcium oxalate is the stuff that makes up most kidney stones. Some people with such stones have to limit their intake of oxalates.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My late father, a retired Army officer, died at the age of 79. For a few years before his death, he felt pain in his right thigh. He was told it came from his back. One day his right thigh broke while he was in bed. He was taken to the hospital, where the doctors declared he had prostate cancer that spread to bone. I contested this diagnosis. I sent a specimen of biopsied tissue to a larger hospital, where the diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma was made. Would you say something about it? – Z.K.

ANSWER: A rhabdomyosarcoma is a muscle cancer that occurs mainly in childhood. Treatment includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. I understand how the initial diagnosis was erroneously made. It would be much more likely that a man your father’s age would have prostate cancer that spread to bone. The few adults who come down with rhabdomyosarcoma fare less well than do children.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a constantly high pulse, ranging from 80 to 100 beats a minute. I am 79 years old. My internist is not concerned. Should I be, and should I consult a cardiologist? – M.K.

ANSWER: One hundred is still considered a normal heart rate (pulse). “Normal” ranges between 60 and 100 while at rest. If you have no symptoms – dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue – you can believe your internist.

Only if the matter is of great worry to you should you seek out a specialist. That’s more for peace of mind than for health.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I applied for a job with a company that requires a urine specimen for drug testing. I smoke marijuana occasionally. How long does it take marijuana to leave the body so that it’s not detected in the urine? – R.Z.

ANSWER: That depends on how many cigarettes you smoke and the period of time you smoke them in. For a rare user, the urine clears of traces of marijuana in three days. If a person is a four-time-a-week user, it takes five to seven days for the urine to test negative. A daily user has to abstain for up to 15 days before the urine is free of the drug. For a heavy user, it can take a full month before the urine is clear.

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

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