Dear Dr. Donohue • I would like to take organ donation a step further and donate my body to science. If any part of me can help find a cure for a disease or help someone live longer, I will have been of some use to my fellow human beings. Furthermore, it would save my family the expense of a funeral. How do I go about setting this up? — D.C.

Answer • I believe you mean you would like all usable organs to be donated for use in others. For this, you deserve kudos. You can learn all the facts you need by visiting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at organdonor.org.

The site has you select your home state. You will then be put on that state's donor registry. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) contracts with the Department of Health to maintain a central network, open all hours and all days. It facilitates the identification of a suitable donor for a suitable recipient.

A hospital with a donor alerts the local Organ Procurement Organization, and a representative immediately visits the hospital to see if the donor organs are acceptable.

You or your family doesn't have to do a thing. Enrolling with the Department of Health is all you need to do.

You deserve a pat on the back. If more people were like you, the desperate deficit of organs would not exist. Age is not an impediment to donation. Neither are most illnesses. You do need to emphasize to your relatives your desire, and having it put on your driver's license also helps.

Dear Dr. Donohue • My daughter, a hospital nurse, has seen patients with arthritis respond to acupuncture treatments.

One patient my daughter saw was screaming with arthritis pain. One day my daughter came into the hospital and saw this person walking around. She asked how, and was told that the patient got acupuncture treatment.

I had back problems that were gone with acupuncture treatment. You said needles are inserted into the skin. People think that is painful; it is not. Hope you help your readers understand this. — M.B.

Answer • The medial journal articles I cited in that answer had positive things to say about acupuncture. I did say needles were used, but I added ''fine" to ''needles."

People need not fear pain from their use. I am happy for the results you got and the ones witnessed by your daughter.

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