DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you tell me the value of vitamin D-3? Is it good for you? — T.P.

ANSWER: Vitamin D is more than good for you. It has been crowned king of vitamins.

Sunlight falling on the skin turns a skin material into vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol). Another form of vitamin D is D-2 (ergocalciferol). It’s found in some foods and in most supplements. Both forms of vitamin D are approximately equal and can be used as a supplement. Both of these vitamins are further transformed by the liver and then by the kidney into the active vitamin D.

Many people are vitamin D-deficient. People living in northern climates don’t get enough sunlight in the winter to provide them with natural vitamin D. In the summer, many older people have little exposure to the sun, so they are shortchanged year-round.

D’s main function is to facilitate the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract and to promote its incorporation into bones. Many women and quite a few men develop osteoporosis, bone thinning, because of a deficiency of vitamin D.

This vitamin is said to promote heart health, keep teeth healthy, protect against prostate cancer and keep muscles strong. And that’s only a sample of the things attributed to it.

Experts believe that the daily recommendation for vitamin D should be 1,000 IU.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband is 72 years old and has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Can I have your thoughts on it? — C.N.

ANSWER: “Dementia” is word that causes much confusion. It denotes a decline in mental function and a loss of memory. Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease, multiple small strokes and Binswanger’s disease are all specific examples of dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia comes from a shrinkage of two brain lobes, the frontal (behind the forehead) and the temporal (behind the ear). The frontal lobe is the area governing personality traits. Signs associated with its malfunction are behavior changes, a disinterest in other people and lack of insight into one’s own and others’ problems. The temporal lobe deals with word recognition and language fluency. Signs of temporal lobe involvement are a loss of coherent speech and nonrecognition of the meaning of words. These are but a few of the mental problems that come with this illness.

No medicine improves frontotemporal dementia. If people with the disorder have other mental problems, like depression or anxiety, medicines can address those difficulties.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My friend recently had surgery for Mohs disease. He was told it is a rare form of cancer. We’ve been unable to find out much about it. If you have any information, please share it. — G.G.

ANSWER: Something has gone wrong in the transmission of information about your friend’s illness to you. Mohs isn’t a cancer. It’s a surgical technique for skin cancers, particularly for skin cancers on the face or those involving large areas of skin or ones without a definite border. Very thin slices of skin are removed from the affected skin and immediately examined microscopically to identify cancer cells. The procedure continues until the doctor reaches a level where no more cancer cells can be seen. The Mohs technique yields gratifying results.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Some friends got together for a birthday party, and some were talking about one of them who has neuropathy. I’d never heard of this. What is it? — M.L.

ANSWER: It’s nerve damage, and usually involves a leg or foot nerve. The damage can cause pain or muscle weakness, and the weakness can be so profound that walking is impaired. Diabetes is one cause of neuropathy, but it’s not the only cause. Sometimes a cause cannot be identified.

Neuropathy is difficult to have and to treat. It’s a quite common malady.

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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