Dear Dr. Gott: From the time I was young and in grade school, I've stuttered. Is this a physical or emotional condition, and what causes it? As I've aged I can speak better, but I still have trouble with certain words. Would medication help this embarrassing problem?

Reply: This condition affects almost three million Americans of all ages. In fact, it is relatively common in children up to the age of five as language skills develop. It is more common in boys than in girls and is often outgrown as people age.

Stuttering is a speech defect that includes hesitation, stammering, repetition of syllables, stumbling and holding some words or letters for a prolonged period.

The disruption may be accompanied by blinking eyes or lip tremors and can vary in intensity throughout the day. For example, a person may be unable to speak before a group of people or on a telephone without stuttering, yet can sing or recite poetry without a hitch.

Some researchers believe that developmental stuttering, which occurs in young children in the process of learning to speak, happens when a child's ability to talk cannot meet the necessary verbal demands.

The specific genes involved in this case have yet to be identified, yet scientists outside of the United States have determined that a portion of chromosome 12 may be linked to stuttering.

Neurogenic stuttering can occur following brain injury, trauma to the head or stroke when the brain, nerves and muscles fail to coordinate the speech components necessary for clear transmission. A parent or family member can diagnose a stuttering problem simply by listening to a child talk; however, the intervention of a speech pathologist is often considered for a professional diagnosis.

This person can determine whether a child will outgrow the condition, whether other speech difficulties exist, and what therapy would be most appropriate. There is no cure for stuttering, yet a number of steps can be taken to reduce the stress of the condition. Being supportive and less demanding, speaking slowly and in a relaxed manner, having frank discussions about the issue, controlling breathing patterns and avoiding high-pressure situations are but a few of the possibilities.

Some testing has been accomplished with drugs manufactured for depression, anxiety and epilepsy, yet drug therapy specifically targeted for stuttering has been found to be relatively ineffective for control.

Additional information can be obtained through the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders online at www.nidcd.nih.gov.

Dear Dr. Gott: I read with interest and sympathy the letter in your column from a women suffering with fibromyalgia. I, too, suffered for years until I went to an upper-cervical chiropractor for treatment.

I haven't had any pain for several years.

Reply: The head weighs between eight and 14 pounds. It must remain in perfect alignment in order to prevent interference in every brain-to-body function. Misalignment can result from automobile accidents, poor posture, falls and countless other causes. When the head becomes misaligned, it reacts adversely with pain and poor health. This is where upper-cervical chiropractic intervention comes into play.

There is no forceful twisting or pulling of the neck. Muscles relax, blood circulation increases, and healing begins. To provide related information on your condition, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report 'Fibromyalgia'. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped number 10 envelope and a cheque or money order for $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, Ohio 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dr. Peter Gott is a retired physician and the author of 'Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet' and 'Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook'. Contact him c/o United Media, 200 Madison Avenue, fourth floor, New York, New York 10016.