DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have two daughters, ages 49 and 54, and a daughter-in-law, 53. All three are going through menopause. My daughter-in-law has a problem with leakage of both breasts. Is this normal? Your opinion would be appreciated. – R.C.

ANSWER: Breast leakage is a somewhat common problem, but only in about 5 percent of these women does it indicate serious trouble. All the same, your daughter-in-law must report to her doctor to be sure she is not in that 5 percent.

The cancer issue is the first to address. Most cancer-related leakage is blood-tinged, and usually the leakage is from only one breast.

Ductal ectasia is a more common cause. Here, the milk ducts beneath the nipple are inflamed and clogged. The color of leaking material is gray to green.

Breast cysts can cause leakage. So can thyroid disease. Stimulation of the breasts promotes drainage. Women runners often develop irritated breasts that leak fluid.

Prolactin, a hormone that promotes milk production, is made by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. A prolactin tumor can cause breast seepage, and the fluid is milky.

Your daughter-in-law has much to talk over with her doctor.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Is Parkinson’s disease hereditary? I have a friend in the beginning stages of it. His right hand trembles. I know it will worsen in time. Is there a cure – medicines or surgery? He said he had a head injury years ago. Is that a possible cause? – I.S.

ANSWER: Most Parkinson’s disease is not hereditary. The kind that is comes on at an early age.

Having a previous head injury puts a person at greater risk for developing the illness, but, again, most patients have no recollection of such an injury.

The basis of Parkinson’s disease is depletion of the brain chemical dopamine. There are many Parkinson’s medicines that help restore dopamine and help control symptoms.

Surgery in the form of deep-brain stimulation is sometimes used for people who are not benefited by medicines. A pacemaker device delivers a gentle electric current to the movement centers of the brain to control symptoms.

There is no cure.

The progression of Parkinson’s is quite variable. Many patients go for years without any worsening of their symptoms. A few have a much faster course. With today’s medicines, many Parkinson’s patients are able to carry on the majority of life’s activities for quite some time.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I take many medicines, and all work fine with one exception – Coumadin. I take it for atrial fibrillation. My last protime (a test for blood coaguability) was low. I have been told to cut down on green, leafy vegetables. I am eating them to lose weight. What can I do? – B.O.

ANSWER: People take Coumadin to thin their blood so it doesn’t form clots. Atrial fibrillation causes clots to form. Pieces of those clots can break lose, travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Coumadin works by interfering with the action of vitamin K, the clotting vitamin.

You can eat most vegetables. Kale, spinach, collard greens, broccoli and brussels sprouts have a good supply of vitamin K. They can work against Coumadin. However, you can even eat them if you do so consistently in small to moderate amounts.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You said a cross-country airplane trip gives you as much radiation as a mammogram. You’ve taken away my fear of mammograms but have caused concern for airplane flights. Is the radiation additive? – J.Z.

ANSWER: Everyone on planet Earth is subject to the natural radiation from space and from the ground. The higher up you go in space, the slightly more radiation you get. You have no worry from airplanes. Pilots live in them, and their cancer rates are no different from the rest of us.

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.