Dear Dr. Donohue — I have hemochromatosis — too much iron in the body. My doctor takes blood every other week. What can you tell me about it? What's the end result? — H.G.

Answer — Hemochromatosis (HE-moe-CROW-muh-TOE-siss) is an unpronounceable name with close to zero recognition by the general public. The sad truth is it is a fairly common condition. It's one of the most widespread inherited illnesses.

Normally the digestive tract absorbs just enough iron to replace daily losses. People with two hemochromatosis genes — one from the mother and one from the father — absorb far too much iron. The excess is deposited in many organs, like the liver, pancreas, heart, pituitary gland and testes, and severely damages them.

Signs that these organs are in trouble don't appear until later in life — 40 for men and older for women, who lose iron from menstruating. Frequently the first indication of trouble is abnormal liver tests, discovered when a person has an exam for some unrelated reason. If hemochromatosis is discovered early, treatment can begin early and organs are saved. If it goes undiscovered, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, heart failure, diabetes and skin with a bronzed hue are some of the possible complications.

With early treatment, hemochromatosis patients live a normal life. Treatment is simple. It consists of periodic removal of blood, the body's storage depot of iron.

Because this is a genetic disease, your close relatives — parents, brothers and sisters — should be screened for it. A genetic test for your spouse will tell you if your children also should have a genetic test.

Dear Dr. Donohue — I'm surprised that being a doctor you have never heard of red yeast rice for control of cholesterol. Big Pharma isn't the only answer to our ailments. — Anon.

Answer — Red yeast rice has been a remedy for many centuries in Asia. To produce red yeast rice, a yeast with the name Monascus purpureus is added to regular rice. It grows in and on the rice and turns it red. A result of this process is the production of chemicals called monacolins. Those materials act like statin drugs, the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs. Crestor, Zocor, Lipitor and Pravachol are some of their names. Monacolin K is identical to Mevacor (lovastatin), the first statin drug. The problem with red yeast rice is that batches of it are not standardized for their content of monacolins, so people are not sure how much they're getting. As far as price, the yearly cost of red yeast rice can be in the ballpark with over-the-counter statins. ‚‚

Write Dr. Donohue at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, Fla. 32853-6475.