DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 70-year-old retired surgeon who has taken Lipitor for the past five years.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 44-year-old female whose hair is falling out. I do not wash my hair every day, because it falls out after washing it. I have had thyroid tests (which were fine), went to a dermatologist who found nothing wrong and went to my ob-gyn doctor for hormone testing.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have heard a lot about MRSA. Can you give me some more information about it? What can we do to prevent getting it?

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: If I understand it correctly, in hiatal hernia, a part of the stomach protrudes into the esophagus.

I have never been diagnosed with asthma, but when I drink cold beverages or eat ice cream and when I work out in cold weather, I start wheezing and get extreme chest pain. Is this asthma? What can I do? — R.K.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What are the symptoms of colon cancer? Are there any? — B.P.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My mother, who was 57 years old, recently passed away from ovarian cancer.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have some questions about flu that I can’t find the answers to. I wonder if you’d be kind enough to tell me the information.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am an older widow who suffers from orthostatic hypotension. My blood pressure is 125/68 while sitting and 88/52 while standing. I feel blood draining from my head, and I have had severe falls as a result.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: At my high school, I play basketball and run track. Lately I’ve been getting colds, strep throat, earaches and fever. Is being this active affecting my body? — K.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What is neurofibromatosis? I have it and don’t know anything about it. — L.P.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please discuss adult pertussis. I suspect it is often misdiagnosed and occurs more frequently than realized. — R.C., D.O.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a super active digestive system and have had it for most of my life. Within an hour after any meal, it has passed through my system and is ready for elimination. Is this normal? — D.C.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My dad is 84 and in good health except for diabetes, which he controls with pills and diet. He has a spreading red rash on his left leg, just above the ankle.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I retain fluid in my ankles and feet. They swell during the day. After a night’s sleep they’re normal size. I have taken a diuretic for a whole year, but it’s no better. Why? My doctor has thrown his hands up at this. — M.P.